The Path to Healing
by LunaParvulus
Summary: Chapter 13 up! Healer Harry Potter was called for duty; a patient was brought in St. Mungo's and needed immediate medical attention. His supposed 'enemy' became part of his life. What game was Fate playing this time? HPDM
1. Chapter 1: Calling Healer Potter!

**Disclaimer: I am only borrowing the characters. Yes, you heard me. I am borrowing only. **

A/N: Yes, I know. Another story. I can't help myself! Dx –grumbles- I am going to have so much trouble with all the medical stuff :O

**Summary: **Healer Harry Potter was called for duty; a patient was brought in St. Mungo's and needed immediate medical attention. Someone from his past somehow became part of Harry's life. What game was Fate playing this time?

**Damn plot bunnies! Anyways, here's the first chapter… -sweatdrop-**

**Chapter 1: Calling Healer Potter!**

Harry Potter, aged twenty-six, currently the top Healer of St. Mungo's, was standing outside of his patient's room, who was just admitted for being on the receiving end of a bad slashing hex. The patient's wife, Mrs. Brad Stanfeld, was standing outside with Harry, telling the Healer that they were having a spat at their home. She was about to tell Harry what it was about but Potter held up his hand.

"It's alright Mrs. Stanfeld, you don't have to tell me." Harry smiled lightly at the woman, "But please do continue."

The wife, Shirley, then continued to tell Harry that all they were doing were yelling at each other, occasionally throwing things around. Harry had nodded and scribbled things onto his clipboard. He then asked the wife if she and her husband always fought, and she answered no. Harry continued with his questions until finally, he asked Shirley how her husband was slashed from upper left shoulder down to his right hip.

"Mrs. Stanfeld, did you deliberately cast the slashing hex at your husband?" Harry asked the distraught woman. Mrs. Stanfeld looked up at him as if he was crazy.

"Of course not! Brad was throwing a glass vase at me! The first thing I did was cast the spell, hoping to shatter the vase before it reached my head! I had no intention of harming my husband!" Mrs. Stanfeld screamed; she wrapped her arms around her middle and rocked her body. "I was aiming at the glass vase… but I think I had my eyes closed because I was scared the shattered glass would cut me… I didn't even know I hit Brad until I heard him scream and then fell on the floor, bleeding profusely." She looked up, her eyes wide with fear. "He's going to be alright? Is he, Healer?"

Harry sighed and clicked his pen; he tapped the tip onto the clipboard, his lips were a thin line.

"Mrs. Stanfeld, your husband is extremely lucky. If the slashing hex went a bit more to the right, you would've killed him instantly. Quite frankly, if that happened, his heart would've been sliced open and there would have been no need to bring him here." Harry looked down at his clipboard, "He lost quite a bit of blood but I already asked the nurses to give him Blood Replenishing potions so he should be fine."

"Can-can I see him?" Mrs. Stanfeld asked.

Harry held his clipboard to his chest and shook his head. "Your husband is stable but unconscious. You should let him rest and come back tomorrow."

"Oh… I see…" The woman looked through the window and held back a sob; her husband was lying on a bed, his upper body wrapped with white gauze. "Other than losing a lot of blood… there isn't any other…"

"He'll have a very long scar for a reminder." Harry told her, "I knitted the muscles, skin, and blood vessels the best I can. It was a good thing the cut wasn't deep enough to damage his internal organs. The scar will be there; I healed it the best I could."

"Thank you, Healer Potter." Shirley looked up with teary eyes, "I-I really didn't mean to hurt Brad."

Harry nodded and placed a hand on the woman's thin shoulder, "It was an accident. He'll be fine; I recommend for Mr. Stanfeld to remain at the hospital for at least three days. I need to give him a thorough checkup when he wakes. If there are no problems your husband will be free to go on Thursday."

Shirley nodded silently and turned to look through the window again. "Can you please let me in? I promise I won't bother him. I just want to be by my husband's side."

Harry sighed and took out his wand; he tapped it on the door and it slid sideways. Mrs. Stanfeld smiled her thanks and stepped into the room. Potter tapped the door again and it slid back into place. The Healer stood by the window, watching as the wife took out a chair and sat by the bed, gingerly taking her husband's hand and held it. Harry smiled softly and left.

"Let's hope they won't fight anymore after this episode."

* * *

Three days went by and Harry was not surprised in the least when he found Mrs. Stanfeld sitting next to her husband. Brad Stanfeld looked away from his wife when the door to his room opened and Healer Potter stepped in.

"Healer Potter… I-I never really got to thank you for saving my life." Brad said; he was holding hands with his wife and Harry took this as a good sign.

"If I remember correctly, Mr. Stanfeld, you just woke up yesterday and you were still a bit out of it." Harry said, chuckling, "Besides, it is my job to help and cure people or I wouldn't be a Healer in the first place." Harry smiled and picked up a clipboard that was at the foot of the bed; he flipping through the file of Brad Stanfeld. "Everything looks fine, but I'm going to do a test to make sure. Is that alright with you?" Harry asked as he took out his Healers' wand.

This wand was quite different from the wand he normally used. First off, the healing wand was _white_. Second, it had no special design; it was just one simple white stick. When Harry first acquired his Healers' wand, he was disappointed. The young man had thought it to be more… special looking. But after being a Healer for five years, Harry was used to the simplicity.

Mr. Stanfeld nodded and pulled his blanket to the side, "Of course I don't mind," He struggled a bit since his body was stiff for being in bed for three days. Mrs. Stanfeld stood up from her chair and stood back, letting Harry be closer to his patient.

"Do you feel any pains?" Harry asked as he traced his white wand over the man's body; the tip of the wand was glowing blue. If it found any complication it would turn red. With a soft tap, an orange shield covered Mr. Stanfeld's body. Harry straightened himself and waited.

"No, but there is this itch around the scar…" Mr. Stanfeld frowned and his eyes were staring at the strange shield over his body. "What is this orange light?" Just before Harry answered, a monotonic voice floated out.

_Muscle tissues thoroughly healed; slight scarring near the collarbone. Blood vessels repaired, no lasting damages found. Internal organs: no damages. Internal bleeding: none. Skin tissue: scarring from left shoulder to right hip. _

Harry chuckled when Brad's eyes widened in surprise as the orange shield disappeared.

"That's normal. Itchiness means your wound is healing properly. The shield is my way of doing the diagnostic tests so no need to worry about that." Harry tucked his wand away, back into his Healer's robe. "I will give you a prescription to take home some potions. One would be for the underlying muscles; I want them to be fully healed. Another one would be for the scar… I hope the potion will make it fade as much as it could." Harry informed the man; he reached over and covered Mr. Stanfeld with the blanket. "From what I am seeing, you are good enough to return home. I will inform the nurse, telling her you are to be discharged."

"Thank you, Healer." Mr. Stanfeld said; he turned to the side and held out his hand to his wife; she came over and took it. "Did you hear that Shirley? I can go home; I'm fine."

Shirley smiled at her husband, "Yes, I heard." She looked at Harry. "Thank you so much, Healer Potter."

"No problem at all. Now, you two can wait here. A nurse will be with you in a moment." Harry took out his wand again. He swirled it around until a white orb formed at the tip. With a flick, Harry sent the orb out of the room. "That will reach one of the nurses in this department. They will get the message."

The couple just stared at Harry. Potter chuckled and replaced the clipboard back at the foot of the bed.

"Yes, my patients are usually shocked at the way I do things. It's very… shall I say, unusual."

"But you _are_ the best here… We wouldn't question the way you do things." Mr. Stanfeld murmured, "They're weird, but effective."

All Harry did was chuckle at that observation.

* * *

"Healer Potter!" A nurse called and walked into Harry's office; she had a frantic look on her face and he knew there must've been an emergency.

"What is it, Natalie?" Harry asked; he stood up and grabbed his robe from a clothes rack. The nurse handed him a manila file and Potter opened it to read the patient's record.

"A male, in his mid-twenties was just brought in five minutes ago." The nurse informed as she and Harry made their way to the emergency ward. "There had been a car accident in central Muggle London. He was taken to a Muggle hospital but one of our colleagues, Dr. Ashton, saw how serious the patient's case was and he asked for a transfer."

Dr. Ashton was a Healer; he worked at St. Mungo's until a year ago. He then went to work at a Muggle hospital, occasionally transferring patients when it seemed magical healing would be more effective. Of course, transferred patients were either wizards or witches.

"I see…" Harry muttered as he read the patient's personal information. "There's no name… Why isn't there a name?"

"I'm sorry, Healer Potter." Natalie answered, "We searched for his wand. As you know, that's how we get a patient's information. But there wasn't a wand anywhere in sight. We suspect he lost it during the accident."

Harry growled softly and continued to scan through the rest of the file.

_Name: Not Available  
Sex: Male/Wizard  
Age: Between 25-30_

_Diagnosis: Minor cuts and bruises on face, slight swelling. Severe internal bleeding; four left ribs fractured. Left side lung punctured. Abdominal muscles torn and fractured sternum. Broken spine, between lumbar L2 and L5. Crushed left and right fibula. Suspected lower body paralysis. _

"This man is practically crushed from top to bottom! It's a goddamn miracle his neck wasn't harmed." Harry growled; he turned left and into the emergency ward. "Why wasn't he brought here sooner? With his detached lumbar sections… it is very likely this man will never walk again! All the nerve damage… He's going to be here for quite a while."

"Healer… when I ran to give you the file, medi-wizards and some other healers were already working on his bleeding and internal injuries. But they wanted you to be there for the bone fractures and nerve damages. They said those are your expertise." Natalie said.

Harry merely grunted and strode up to where he saw a group of healers busy casting healing spells on a body lying on the bed. Without even asking Natalie, Harry knew that was his patient they were trying to heal. One female Healer looked up from her task.

"Healer Potter, you're here! We've been dealing with this man's internal injuries. So far we got the bleeding under control and are now giving him a blood transfusion. This young man lost too much blood, the potion wouldn't work on him."

Harry patted her shoulder and went to the side of the bed. Another healer spoke up but Harry didn't look at the person.

"All external injuries are healed. The punctured lung and the torn muscles are repaired. What is left are the spine and crushed fibulas. We think he will be paralyzed from the waist down."

"That is very likely seeing how the lumbar is dislocated." Harry mumbled; he took out his wand and waved it above the body. An orange shield appeared; all the other healers and nurses stepped back to let their top Healer work.

_Lumbar sections L2 to L4 misaligned. Right and left fibulas shattered. Fractured sternum, not too severe. Spinal cord damage: needs immediate attention. Lower body paralysis. _

Harry had taken a clipboard and wrote all the things down. This man was in his department alright. It could be his toughest case yet. As the orange shield dissipated, Harry finally had a good look at the man's features.

Pale skin, lean body; the face was somewhat swollen from the previous cuts. The man's whole body was swelled. Bandages were placed here and there… but Harry still found the man strangely familiar. Potter pushed that thought aside for the moment; he went back to observing. The lower body, however, was a different story. The calves were swollen and red, indicating that the bones underneath were indeed crushed. Harry saw lumps that he suspected were shattered bone pieces. Harry couldn't see the spinal injury. It might seem small, but the result was the worst.

"Can you please move him to a room? I'll start working on him immediately." Harry told the nurses surrounding the bed. "Did you contact… Oh right. There wasn't any information on that."

Harry gave his orders and three nurses started to push the bed down the hallways and into a sterilized room.

"Hook him up. I want one to drain his fluids; his body is already starting to fight back. I want him to be on a ventilator; his lungs were barely repaired and I don't want too much stress on it." Harry told two of the nurses; he turned to Natalie. "Put him on an IV; he's going to need it."

There were just some things that needed to be done in the Muggle way.

"Healer, do you want us to take off the bandages on his face?" One of the nurses asked, "I'm sure the other healers had fixed the minor cuts and they shouldn't need to be covered."

Harry was hovering over the calves of the injured man; he flapped his hand at the nurse. "Go ahead. Seeing how his face is swollen, I think some cuts are inflamed. Can you apply some ointment?"

The brunet only saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Harry was concentrated on the shattered fibula of the patient's left leg. He pointed his white wand at the calf and murmured a spell. The skin and flesh became see-through which in turn showed Harry the crushed bones. He heard a gasp from Natalie; Harry looked to the side and gave the nurse a rueful smile.

"If he walks again, by some sort of miracle, he'll still limp. There is no way for him to walk properly again." Harry looked down again, "What the hell hit you? A bulldozer?" Harry shook his head.

Mending bones was intricate work. Harry would have to move piece by piece back together then use a healing spell to connect the pieces. It was like working with a puzzle. Of course, the first thing he needed to do was to stop any impending infections that might happen for leaving the bones broken.

"Healer Potter, I've put the ointment on. Anything else?"

Harry looked up and smiled at the nurse; she nodded and left. Natalie and the remaining nurse stood nearby. Harry looked up and stared at the man's face. For the first time since the patient was brought here, Harry finally understood why this man was so familiar to him. Green eyes turned round as Harry took in the sharp chin, somewhat pointed nose, and the shiny blond hair.

How did he miss that?

"… What the bloody hell happened to you, Malfoy?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Woot! The first chapter of another story… FINISHED! :D Tell me how this is okay? ;) I hope I didn't make a complete fool out of myself ;X

Thanks for reading! _  
_


	2. Chapter 2: Explaining the Past

A/N: Okay, so I got pretty good reviews for the first chapter. But then, people probably thought I was insane for starting another story when I still have like three others that I'm still working on. Heh…

**You know… I'm getting pissed off at my story "Healing Visions". The story would disappear and when I try to find it, it would say the story doesn't exist ;x What's up with that? I think ff . net hates that story xD It's not like I have extremely mature contents in it… o-o I mean, I didn't even make Draco be half naked for god's sakes! :s Harry and Draco were always clothed… so was Severus lol!**

Anyways, enough of my ranting… back to the story at hand. Harry finds out that he's treating Malfoy all this time! What now!? Harry has a puppy name Storm. Yes, I know I can't come up with names to save my life :D

_**Italics – **_**Memories (in third person POV)**

**Chapter 2: Explaining the Past**

Harry _almost_ went to grab the closest thing to him to prevent his body from toppling over. But the closest objects were Malfoy's calves and Harry was pretty sure the blond would appreciate that his bones wouldn't be more smashed up than they already were. So all Harry did was grip his healer's wand a bit tighter and went on as if he never shouted out.

"Healer, are you alright?" Natalie asked. "You said Malfoy… Is that the patient's name?"

"It's this the... Yeah, it's his family name." Harry mumbled; he kept his head down, eyes trained on the shattered bones underneath the see-through skin. "His full name is Draco Malfoy. He was my… schoolmate at Hogwarts. Same year, Slytherin house." Harry pointed his wand at a jagged piece of bone and slowly put it back into place.

"Oh… Were you two friends?" Natalie asked innocently; she never heard Healer Potter talk about his school years.

"No," Harry snapped. "We were far from _friends._" Harry ground out the last word.

A small surge of anger rose within Harry's chest and because of it, he pointed at another piece of bone and flicked it back to wherever, not caring if it was in the right place or not. Then Harry sighed and double checked; it was in the right place and he went to fix another piece.

Natalie and the other nurse watched nervously as Potter mend the fibula with jerky movements; they had never seen Harry angry before. The healer would always treat his patients with kindness and whatever case he was working on, it was worked with care. Natalie tentatively placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, making the young healer look up, stopping him from mending bones.

"You two… weren't on friendly terms?" Harry looked away from Natalie's searching blue eyes and down at the not-so-shattered fibula.

"No… We were always fighting about the dumbest things," Harry answered; he looked up and gave the nurse a small smile. "Enough about that… Can you get braces ready for Mr. Malfoy's calves? I want you to put them on once I mend bone pieces perfectly together."

Natalie nodded and took out her own wand. "I'm sorry for prying into your business…"

"It's alright," Harry smiled. "Now, I want you to get me two size three brace. The ones that are around fifteen inches long."

Natalie smiled and flicked her wand at the floor. In a flash of white, a pair of metal braces appeared. Both looked like they were made to fit Malfoy's calves perfectly.

Harry nodded in approval when Natalie held the one for the left leg up for him to see. "Perfect. Let me just connect all the bone tissues and breakage. It shouldn't take too long…"

Harry put his wand right under Malfoy's left knee; he smoothly let it travel along the limb. A soft, white mist settled onto the shin as Harry's wand moved. Natalie and the nurse, who had walked up to stand at the other side of the bed, watched in complete awe as the bones slowly melted together, the cracks disappearing right before their eyes. It was well known around St. Mungo's that Harry Potter's healing methods were scenes to behold. They were out of the ordinary but the effects were quick and to the point. If they had issued the Skele-Gro, it would take at least two days for all those broken pieces of bones to be mended together.

With Healer Potter's method, it would only take an hour or less.

Colleagues had asked Harry how and where he had learned such skills. For one so young, it was as if Harry had many years of practice under his belt. But all Potter would say was that he studied, tested the healing spells on models and then perfected them. He told his colleagues he had combined spells together to create one new spell. Other healers, medi-wizards and witches still suspected there was more, but they stopped questioning.

Now, Harry stood, waiting, for the white mist to do its work. He smiled in satisfaction when the last break mended and the whole fibula looked good as new. Harry ended the spell by waving his hand over it; the white mist shimmered and then it was gone.

"Well, my kind nurses, do you see any breakage in the left fibula?" Harry asked. Both Natalie and the other nurse shook their heads.

"No, Healer Potter. Everything looks fine." Natalie held up the left brace and placed it on the limb. "Healer, even though you mended his bones, there's still the fact he won't be able to walk properly?"

"I'm afraid so," Harry answered; he watched as Natalie tightened the metal rods and the brace was securely in place. "Just because I connected his fibula doesn't mean that the nerves were completely repaired; we'll let his body do some natural healing. Also, I asked you to put on the braces because his bones are still very vulnerable to breaking… I say it would take a week until we can take them off. During the meantime, I want as little pressure as possible on those calves." When Natalie stood back, Harry pressed the tip of his wand gently into the limb. The skin promptly returned to its normal color.

"His spinal cord damage… that one's the worst is it not?" Natalie asked.

"Yes… But no matter, I'll do the best I can. However, I can't guarantee he'll walk after treatment."

"And if he doesn't?"

Harry shook his head and walked around the bed; he glanced at Draco's serene expression before using the same spell to make the right calf see-through.

"Mr. Malfoy will hate me more, and possibly hate himself as well."

* * *

"Alright, that's all for now." Harry tucked his wand inside his robes; Natalie and the other nurse bustled around, putting things away.

Harry bent low and pulled the blanket over Malfoy's body; his green eyes scanned from top to bottom. The blond was so thin… and looked so fragile. Harry sighed and took a step back from the bed. For the past two hours, he had mended both of Malfoy's previously crushed fibulas; Harry then, with the help of Natalie, flipped Malfoy to his stomach and started working on the blonde's spinal injury. Using the same spell to make the pale skin see-through, Harry clearly saw the misalignment of the lumbar. The sections L2 to L4 were unmistakably out of place; both were also fractured. Working on the spinal cord took great care; Potter asked Natalie to carefully insert a needle into the vertebrae, draining the spinal fluids. If they did not do so, the fluid would only serve to press against the damaged nerves, thus giving Malfoy pain in the areas he could feel if the man was awake.

Although Harry had aligned the spinal sections, it didn't mean that Malfoy would be able to get up and walk when he wakes up from his coma. Nerve damage required time to heal. Sure, Harry had connected them, but the damage was done. Nerve cells don't regenerate like all other body cells do. That was why once a nerve was damaged patients will need potions to grow new cells.

That is, if the body itself would accept the new grown nerves. If the body rejected them, the patient would be lame for life. This was why Harry was worried; Malfoy would be the first patient to have to re-grow new nerve cells in the spinal column.

"Natalie, I want full observation on Mr. Malfoy. If anything happens, contact me," Harry ordered. "Monitor him. Any changes in his heart rate, body temperature, or maybe something as minor as fluttering eyelids, I want to know."

"Yes, Healer," Natalie said softly; she went up to the bed and pulled out her wand. She mumbled a spell and in a moment, Malfoy was enveloped in a blue shell. Natalie turned to face Harry, only find the healer rubbing his face tiredly. "Healer Potter… you must be drained. You've been healing Mr. Malfoy for the past two hours without stopping. Maybe you should go home; I promise to contact you if anything happens here."

Harry let out a weary sigh; he smiled lightly at the young woman. "Thank you… and how many times have I said you can call me Harry?" The brunet chuckled when Natalie blushed. "You've been working under me for the past two years… and besides, I'm not that much older."

"Well… it's just that… You're my superior," Natalie mumbled. She looked up and rolled her eyes when she found Harry looking at her with an arched eyebrow. "Very well. Alright, _Harry_, I'll be here. Estella and I have late night shifts. We'll be here till the crack of dawn."

Harry nodded. "Guess I'll head home and sleep… I didn't actually have night shift today."

Natalie bit her bottom lip. "We're sorry… but Mr. Malfoy here…" She waved her hand at Draco.

"Yes, I know. I wouldn't ignore the case anyway," Harry shrugged, "he would be under my care from now on. It would be for the best. None of the other healers was ever in the same room with Draco Malfoy before. Well, they were but he was unconscious." Harry smirked when Natalie looked at him, confused. "Trust me, Natalie… he's as cold as ice from the Arctic."

"At any rate, you're good to leave now." She walked out from Malfoy's room; Harry followed behind.

"You'll see me soon. I'll be back in—" Harry pulled back his sleeve and checked his watch, "—five hours."

"Oh that's right… You have the early shift tomorrow."

Harry nodded glumly; he turned left while Natalie stood watching Harry's retreating back from the doorway of Malfoy's room.

"Goodnight, Harry!" the young nurse called; she smiled when Harry waved without turning back to look at her.

* * *

Harry apparated straight to the front door of his flat in; he plunged his hand into his trouser pocket and fished out his keys. When Harry had just barely started his Healer training, he had decided against living anywhere with only Muggles. After spending a good ten years in the magical world, it was home to him and Harry didn't feel too comfortable living with just non-magical folks. Thus, Harry bought a flat in London, in the wizarding part of the city.

Potter jiggled his key and put it into the front door lock. Before he even had the chance to turn the knob, soft scratches were heard along with a small whine. Harry chuckled and carefully opened the door wide enough so he squeezed through. A joyous bark greeted him, making Harry smile.

"Hey Storm… Did ya miss me?" Harry asked the now sitting Labrador puppy; he bent down and picked Storm up. "Were you lonely without me?"

Storm let out a yip and licked the tip of Harry's nose, its tail wagging back and forth in happiness. Harry ruffled Storm's sleek black coat of fur, making the pup tremble in contentment.

"Well, I missed you too, boy." Harry patted the dog's small head. "I have loads to tell you… You won't believe who I saw tonight…"

Storm let out a bark and started wriggling in Harry's arms. The brunet chuckled and gently placed the black puppy down. Living up to its name, Storm shot down the hallway and bounced into the living room in a flurry of black. Harry shook his head at the young pup's antics and followed the black ball of fur.

"What would I do without you, Storm?" Harry mused and went to his living room. "The flat would be very quiet that's for sure."

Harry stood near the couches; his green eyes watching his pup run around in circles in the middle of the carpeted floor. After about five circles, Storm finally settled down and lay in front of the couch, its dark brown eyes staring at its owner. Potter walked over to the panting pup and sat down on the floor, cross-legged. With his back against the sofa, Harry patted his lap and the puppy scrambled over and made itself comfortable within the folds of Harry's legs.

"I had plenty of excitement today, Storm," Harry whispered. "I saw someone I never thought of seeing again. It was Malfoy."

Storm looked up at Harry and whined, tilting its little head to the side. Harry chuckled and smoothed Storm's fur. The living room was quiet except for the 'thump-thump-thump' of the puppy's tail on Harry's trousers.

"Last time I saw Malfoy was… It was when the battle had just ended." Harry played with Storm's floppy ears, making the dog grin. "I was injured, Storm; my left leg had been cut with a slashing hex combined with a spell that made my flesh slowly rot away. It was horrible and painful…" Harry shuddered as he remembered the way his leg had looked.

"I couldn't do anything… it hurt so much," Harry closed his eyes, "I thought I was going to die by blood lost. Nobody could help me; there were so many bodies that night."

Storm let out a sad whimper and nuzzled Harry's belly; it was as if the pup could sense his owner's sadness and pain. Harry opened his eyes and looked down at the Labrador.

"I really didn't expect anybody to heal me… But then…"

.:0:..:0:..:0:.

'_Oh Merlin… Just let me die. I don't want any more pain…'_

_Harry was lying face up on the dirt ground; blood was pooling underneath his legs as the cut continuously bled. He propped himself up by his elbows and winced; tears of pain trickled down his face. Harry was deathly pale but nobody was there to notice. The skin next to the cut was turning black and rotting. Whatever the spell was, it was doing its job without trouble. Harry cried as more blood pulsed out; the liquid was black and thick. Just as he was to pass out, a pair of hands pushed him back onto the ground. Harry's vision was becoming blurry but he still made out who was hovering above him._

"… _Ma-Malfoy?" Harry whispered; he was starting to slur. _

_Draco sent the brunet one of his famous smirks and pointed his wand at Harry. The first thought that came to mind was that Malfoy was going to kill him right there. It would've been easy; Harry was in no shape to fight back, even though he was clutching his wand in his right hand. _

"_Are you going to kill me now?" Harry asked; he closed his eyes. "Do it… Everybody's dead and I'm going to die sooner or later…" Harry moved his left leg. "At this rate, all my blood would be spilled onto the ground within five minutes." _

"_Shut up, Potter, I'm not going to kill you," Draco drawled. _

_Harry opened his eyes slowly; he blinked a few times to focus on the blond-haired teen above him. _

"_Then why are you here?" Harry whispered painfully; he tensed when a throb of pain shot through his torso. "Leave before the remaining Death Eaters come back…"_

_Draco scoffed. "There are none left; they're all dead and gone. Aurors had arrived…" Draco sat on his calves and placed his hand over Harry's eyes. "Go to sleep, Potter." _

"_What… NO!"_

_Draco sneered and removed his hand; his eyes went to the horrible cut on Harry's leg. "That's a nasty piece of work." _

_Harry let out a choked laugh. "Yes, quite. I don't know what hit me… A Death Eater mumbled something and shot the spell at my leg…" _

_Malfoy sighed. "Stop talking, Potter, I know what the spell is." _

"_You do?"_

"_It's dark magic… My father made me study them when I was young… I know what the curse is." _

_Harry struggled to sit up but Draco pushed him down again. "Can you…?" _

_For the first time in the seven years he'd known Malfoy, Harry saw a small smile on Draco's pinched face._

"_I can… But now, you shall sleep, Potter." Once more, Draco placed his hand over Harry's eyes._

_The brunet tried to pull it off but was too weak. The blood loss and the magic drain were taking their toll. The last thing he heard was Draco mumbling a spell and then Harry knew no more._

.:0:..:0:..:0:.

Storm let out a soft bark when Harry stopped stroking its fur. Potter frowned; he picked up the puppy and held it close; Storm started nuzzling Harry's neck, sniffing at the skin.

"I woke up, maybe hours later, to find it was still dark. Nothing changed except that I felt no more pain…" Harry began again. "I sat up and was shocked to find my leg good as new; there wasn't even a scar." Potter set Storm down in front of him and let the puppy sit on the floor. "I searched the battleground after I was strong enough to stand and walk; I wanted to find Malfoy and thank him for healing my leg, but Malfoy was nowhere to be found… The last time I saw and heard him was before I blacked out… Until now."

Storm whined and butted Harry's legs before putting its head on his shins.

"It's been eight years, Storm. Eight years… And that's a long time." Harry placed one hand on top of the black pup's head. "You can say it was Malfoy that inspired me to become a Healer. I wanted to help people in need… Just like how Malfoy helped me, even though he was my supposed enemy."

Storm barked to agree with Harry.

"Now, I have the chance to repay him… By healing him and make him walk again."

* * *

At another place, far away from Harry's flat, in a room numbered four fifty-two, a blond-haired patient moved his right index finger, like a spasm. Heart rate went up to a more stable condition; it wasn't as slow as before. A loud ringing sounded, alerting nearby nurses.

Natalie rushed into room four fifty-two and just in time saw another jerky movement from Draco's finger. She ran back out again, going to contact the patient's doctor.

Draco let out a small sigh, his breath fogging up the oxygen mask.

Then, Malfoy was in a deep sleep once more.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: The second chapter is here!! I have a good feeling about this story ;) Well now you know why Harry became a healer ;P Draco's sort of waking up... He'll be awake soon!

Thanks for reading! :D


	3. Chapter 3: Awake

A/N: Tell me I'm crazy. :D Thank you.

**Yeah yeah… this story is quite new… then I turn around and start another one. I have three main stories. "Life From the Start" is almost done. In fact, I only need two more chapters and it will be finished. Then I have this one… my first medical based story. My last one will be my weird as shit Draco becoming a baby story, "Mommy Dearest". I think the title of it tells you something xD and yes, that story is my first Mpreg.**

I know, I know… I have "At Your Doorstep", "Blood Secrets", and "Healing Visions" in my repertoire. I'm putting those on the side for now. When I have one of the three mentioned above done, I'll bring one of these in.

**Thank you for the reviews!! :D**

_Italics – the past (third person POV)_

**Chapter 3: Awake**

Harry was quietly watching his puppy play around when the fireplace roared to life. Orange flames were flickering and suddenly, Natalie's face pushed forward. Harry got up from the sofa and knelt before his fireplace.

"Natalie… Are you here to tell me that Mr. Malfoy woke up?"

The young nurse bit her lip. "No, Healer. But he did move his finger… You said I should contact you if Mr. Malfoy moves… even if it's as minor as fluttering eyelids." Natalie smiled lightly. "Are you going to come over?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in ten minutes," Harry replied. "Go back to his room and see if there are any other signs of him waking up."

"Very well," Natalie said and pulled out.

Harry sighed sat down in front of the fireplace. Storm let out a bark before scrambling over to Harry; the puppy hopped onto Harry's legs and stood on its hind legs, tail wagging happily. Harry smiled and petted the dog's small head.

"I have to leave again, Storm," Harry murmured; Storm let out a soft whine. "I'm sorry, boy, but Draco's… waking up. I have to go back to check on him."

If dogs could pout, then Storm would be pouting right now. The little pup let out a whine, butted Harry's chest, and then hopped off. Harry chuckled as Storm padded over to its doggy bed and curled up to sleep.

"I'll take you with me if I could," Harry said; he pushed himself off the floor and stooped over Storm's bed. "But you know how hospitals are."

Storm let out a huff but licked Harry's hand when the green-eyed man held it out. Harry gave the puppy one last pat before he apparated out of his flat.

HPDMHPDM

As Harry walked into Draco's room, he found Natalie tucking the blanket around Malfoy's body. She looked up and smiled softly at the healer.

"All vital signs are normal, Harry," Natalie reported; Harry was now standing next to her, his white healer's wand in his hand. "He didn't move again, however."

"I really wasn't expecting him to," Harry murmured softly. "He's been through so much. I don't think Mr. Malfoy would wake for another two to three days."

Natalie silently recast the monitoring spell; the blue shield once again covered Draco's entire body.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you," Natalie apologized to Harry. "You should head home and get some sleep."

Harry chuckled. "It's alright; you were only acting upon my orders." Harry then casually threw his arm across Natalie's shoulder, making the nurse blush a bright pink. "I might as well stay here, work on my reports… Mr. Malfoy might wake and it would be a bother for me to apparate from my flat to the hospital or vice versa. Come on, Natalie, let's go to the canteen and grab a cup of coffee. I need it."

Natalie laughed and opened the door. "Of course you do. My treat." She smiled when Harry nodded.

"I'm not going to say no to that offer," Harry said; he dropped his arm and closed the door behind them.

* * *

_Draco was stumbling through the blood slicked grass. Even though it was dark, he still saw the puddles of blood that people shed. Blood shed from both sides of the war. He had dodged four Killing Curse during the past hour; Draco was exhausted but he knew he could not rest until he was sure every Death Eater was gone. _

_Draco fought. He fought for endless hours. Screams were heard from all sides of the field; stray hexes were fired from left and right. He was fighting with an exceptionally large Death Eater when an explosion shook the grounds of Hogwarts. Draco was startled and so was the Death Eater he was fighting; he took this opportunity and fired the Killing Curse. _

_The Death Eater dropped to the ground, his eyes wide in shock. _

_Malfoy was panting harshly; fighting non-stop was taking its toll on his body. He tightened his grip on his wand and made his way to where the explosion happened. Draco walked over dead bodies, most of them were robed in black. There were students and teachers as well; Draco felt a pang in his heart when he saw how young some of the dead students were. He gritted his teeth, not really caring about the cuts on his body, and continued on his way to the center of the field._

_Draco needed to see if _he_ was alright._

_There he was. Lying there, his hair fanned behind his head like a dark halo. As Draco crept closer, he saw the gash on Potter's leg. He winced when he saw that the flesh was rotting away as Potter bled. Draco quickened his steps when Harry tried to sit up; he could hear the other teen's pained sobs. Malfoy knelt down next to Harry and pressed his palm on the brunet's chest. Green eyes looked up at him. Harry was so pale… and so in pain._

"… _Ma-Malfoy?" Draco noticed Potter's speech was slurred._

_Draco smirked at the teen but didn't say a word. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Harry's finger flexed around his wand but didn't move it. Potter was too weak to do much._

"_Are you going to kill me now?" Harry asked; Draco watched as Potter closed his eyes. "Do it… Everybody's dead and I'm going to die sooner or later…" Harry then moved his left leg. Draco was sure he could see the bone. "At this rate, all my blood would be spilled onto the ground within five minutes." _

_Draco sneered; he wanted to slap Harry for thinking he was going to die. _

"_Shut up, Potter, I'm not going to kill you."_

"_Then why are you here? Leave, before the remaining Death Eaters come back…" _

_Draco could see Harry tensed as more blood poured out from his wound. His thoughts turned back to what Harry had just said. Was Potter actually worried about him?_

"_There are none left; they're all dead and gone. Aurors had arrived…" _

_Draco sat on his knees. Harry needed to be treated or else he really would bleed to death. Malfoy put his hand over Harry's eyes, the spell to make the brunet sleep on his lips. _

"_Go to sleep, Potter." _

"_What… NO!" Harry's eyes widened in panic; Draco removed his hand and smirked at him._

"_That's a nasty piece of work," Draco commented; he was staring at the ghastly gash on Harry's left leg._

"_Yes, quite. I don't know what hit me… A Death Eater mumbled something and shot the spell at my leg…" _

_Draco sighed; he knew what it was. "Stop talking, Potter, I know what the spell is." _

"_You do?" Draco was glad to see a spark of hope in those green eyes…_

"_It's dark magic… My father made me study them when I was young… I know what the curse is." _

_There was a smile on Harry's face now. Draco wished he would be around to see that smile more often… He pushed Harry back down again when the teen tried to sit up._

"_Can you…?"_

_Draco let himself smile. Of course he could. He'll heal Potter's leg and then disappear. He cannot stay. There were still families of the dead Death Eaters. They might want revenge on a traitor like himself. _

"_I can… But now, you shall sleep, Potter."_

_Draco once again moved his hand near Harry's eyes; he needed Potter to be asleep. The healing process was going to be painful. But there was another reason._

_Draco didn't want Harry to see him leave. He didn't want Harry to know. All Draco wanted was for Harry to think that he simply disappeared. That was the way to go._

_Malfoy was glad that Harry was too weak; he forced his palm down and muttered the spell. Potter's body went limp and Draco went to work on the cursed wound. Twenty minutes later, Draco finally managed to heal everything. There wasn't even a scar. He tucked Harry's hair behind his ears and smiled. Draco stood up tiredly, his knees felt weak and his whole body was sore. Grey eyes glanced down at the prone body on the bloodied grass._

"_Goodbye, Harry. Maybe we'll meet again. Maybe." _

_Draco spun on the spot and Apparated away._

HPDMHPDM

Draco was sure he had heard a person's voice that sounded just like Potter's. But it couldn't be him, right? The blond wanted so much to open his eyes and see if it really was Harry. He tried but his body wasn't cooperating with him.

Draco tried and tried again, but gave up. He felt really tired but didn't know why.

A door closed; Draco had heard a door closing and that was a long time ago. How long, he did not know. There was also a woman's voice and the unmistakable laughter that was pure Harry.

_What happened… Where am I?_

Draco struggled; he _wanted_ to wake up. He _needed_ to know.

Heavy lidded eyes slowly opened, revealing bloodshot grey eyes. They scanned the surroundings; things were blue.

"… Wuh…" Draco gurgled; the oxygen mask fogged up.

Draco tried to shift but found that he couldn't. The lower part of his body felt numb… Draco did the only thing he could do at the moment.

He waited.

* * *

Natalie came back, holding a cup of hot mocha in each hand. She sighed when she found Harry sitting at a table, close to the windows. He was looking out, a blank stare. The nurse set the cups down and sat down across from the healer. Harry turned away from the window and smiled.

"Thanks…" Harry muttered and took one of the cups.

Natalie took her own and blew on the hot beverage. She took a sip and cradled the coffee in her hands.

"Something is bothering you," Natalie stated. Harry was drinking his mocha; he stopped and set the cup on the table.

"I'm just worried… that's all," Harry answered softly. He tried a smile but Natalie was having none of it.

"I know you're worried about Mr. Malfoy." She held up her hand. "Before you tell me that you worry about all of your patients, I feel that you worry about Mr. Malfoy in a different way."

Harry sighed and looked down at his cup of coffee. "He saved my life. Eight years ago. Tonight's the first time I've seen him since he disappeared eight years ago."

"He saved you?" Natalie asked; her expression softened. She reached out and touched Harry's hand. "What happened?"

"You remember the war don't you?" Harry asked; he was still looking down at his cup.

"Oh yes, I was sixteen then," Natalie said softly. "Even though I wasn't living here, I knew all about it in France. The whole Wizarding world was in joy when you defeated You-Know-Who."

"Draco… he found me when I was hurt. A curse slashed my leg. I thought I was going to die that night," Harry continued. "He healed me and when I woke up… he was gone. I never got the chance to thank him. I didn't know where he was. Eight years passed… and now, he's here. Unconscious and possibly might not walk again."

Natalie leaned back against her chair. "You've told us that you became Healer because _someone_ motivated you to become one. Was that 'someone' Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes," Harry answered.

"Is he also the one that prevented you to have a serious relationship with someone?"

Harry looked up, his eyes wide in shock. "What-how-what?"

"I've been working under you for the last two years, Harry. I've seen your boyfriends, but they never lasted more than three months. Is it because you love Mr. Malfoy? He's the one in your heart. Does he love you?"

Harry planted his elbows on the table and rubbed his face tiredly. "I-I don't know… but you're right. I love him. That's why I can't keep a relationship. I can't drag them on; I never truly loved them. I did, but it's not the same. I break them off before we got too far," Harry confessed. "As for Draco… I don't know if he feels…"

Natalie was about to comfort Harry when her wand glowed inside her robe pocket. She took it out; it was warm in her hands. Natalie stood up quickly, almost upsetting the table. Harry looked up at her.

"What is it?"

"It's Mr. Malfoy. He's awake."

"Awake as in… he moved?" Harry frowned at the nurse.

"No, Healer. Awake as in his eyes are opened. My wand will only glow blue if the patient was truly awake." She held out her wand in front of Harry's face.

Harry was up in a flash, his Healer's robe billowing behind him as he exited the canteen. Natalie followed him as fast as she could. They stood in front of Draco's room; Harry hesitated before sliding the door. He took five long strides and was by Draco's bed. Natalie stood on the other side and deactivated the monitoring shield.

Harry bent down and gently removed the oxygen mask. "Mal-Draco… Can you hear me?"

Grey eyes looked at him; they were a bit glazed but Harry was glad to see they were trained on his face. He was more elated when Draco gave him a feeble nod.

"His vitals are all at normal levels, Harry."

Potter looked at the nurse and nodded. Draco turned his head and mouthed words; Harry shook his head and placed his finger on Malfoy's chapped lips.

"I'll explain everything tomorrow. For now, rest."

Draco sighed and closed his eyes.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Yes, yell at me that I took so freaking long to update. Yes, yell at me that this chapter is stupidly short. But I updated! :D –runs away-

As to why Draco was seeing blue, it was because he's under the monitoring shield. It's blue, remember? :P

Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4: Tell Me

A/N: A new chapter for everybody!! :D I'm proud of myself because this was faster than last time :P

**Thank you for the reviews!! :D**

Draco is awake!! Now what happens? Well, you'll just have to find out :)

_Italics – past (third person POV)_

**Chapter 4: Tell Me**

_Draco closed the front door to his flat firmly; he jingled his keys and locked the door. As he walked down the small pathway, Draco pulled his coat tighter around his body. It was a chilly October evening; cold wind was whipping across his face. The blond ducked his head and quickened his pace to his car. _

_It was another one of those lonely nights that Draco had to live through for the past eight years. There was nobody he could talk to. He hadn't been in contact with any of his friends; it was just too dangerous to do so. Malfoy sighed and unlocked his car with his car key. He shivered once he was inside the warm car, away from the cold. _

_It was on nights like this where Draco would just drive around aimlessly in the London streets._

_His mind was miles away; Draco was absently humming to a song that was playing on the radio. Almost every night, Draco would drive around the city. He was so familiar with the streets that Malfoy was sure he could drive with his eyes blindfolded. Of course, he would never do that. He was not suicidal._

_Draco was driving toward an intersection when his mobile phone started to vibrate. He quickly glanced at his phone and saw that one of his Muggle friends, Jason, was calling him. The light was still green…_

_Draco took his eyes off the road for maybe about three seconds…_

_Green turned red._

_Draco never saw; he wasn't looking._

_Oncoming headlights were heading straight for Draco. _

_A horrendous crash. Another car rammed right into Draco's body. Metal scraping against metal. Glass flew at his face; some slashed right across his pale skin. Draco screamed. The phone in his hand flew and tumbled somewhere; pain burst from every part of his body. The car flipped over. Once. Twice. Three times and slid across the busy London street… other cars screeched to a stop. _

_Seconds… Minutes… _

_Draco groaned; blood trickled out from his mouth. Everything hurt. He could vaguely hear Jason's panicked voice. His mobile phone was miraculously undamaged. There was another person's voice… Draco didn't know who…_

_He let out a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. _

_Tired… So tired._

_Darkness consumed him… and that was the last thing Draco saw._

* * *

Harry sat down next to Draco's bedside. The man was still resting; short little breaths came from the blond's lips. Draco no longer had the oxygen mask over his mouth; Harry gave him a test last night and found that the blond's lungs were stronger and Draco's body wasn't showing signs of stress.

Malfoy stirred; his blond brows furrowed lightly but he did not wake. Harry reached out and tugged the blanket down to Draco's midsection.

"Draco… Draco, can you hear me? Try to open your eyes," Harry coaxed. Draco mumbled and his eyelids fluttered. "Yes, try harder. I need you to be awake so I can do a test on you."

Silver orbs slowly revealed themselves as Draco opened his eyes. They looked to the side where Harry was sitting. Potter smiled warmly and tucked Draco's hair behind his ears.

"…Po-Potter…" Draco gasped; his throat was so dry and scratchy. "You… Why?"

Harry chuckled and stood up from his seat. "Why am I here? I'll tell you, but after I do the test."

Malfoy licked his parched lips. "What…" Draco swallowed with some difficulty. "You… Healer?"

The look on Draco's face made Harry laugh suddenly. He stopped when Draco winced; the sound was probably loud for Draco's ears. The man had just woken up after all.

"Yes, Draco, I'm a healer. From now on, I'll be _your_ healer," Harry said softly, mindful of his patient. "You probably don't want me to be your healer, but I'm the best person to treat your injuries. So I'm sorry about that."

Draco closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. It burned a little but it didn't hurt. "I-I… No… I don't m-mind." He opened his eyes and tried a smile. "You helped… me?"

Harry was beyond relieved when Draco told him he didn't mind that he was his healer. But then again, it could be that Draco's brain was still foggy and didn't know what he was really saying. Harry thought that explanation made sense. When Draco continued to hold his eyes, Harry finally nodded.

"Yes, you were brought in last night… in really bad shape," Harry explained; Draco sighed and nodded. "I was about to leave but was called back when a nurse told me about your case. Do you remember what happened?"

Draco swallowed again and nodded his head slowly. "Car… I was in my car, driving. The phone rang and I-I looked away…" Malfoy closed his eyes and a pained expression crossed his face. "I was hit… and my car flipped over… So much pain… And then, I blacked out." Draco looked up at Harry and scowled.

'_Ah, the old Draco Malfoy is back'_ Harry thought.

"Can I... leave soon?" Draco asked.

Harry frowned at his patient; he took out his healing wand. With a swish, Draco's blanket rolled down, revealing his body.

"I'm afraid you can't, Draco," Harry said. "You may not feel it… but you're more hurt than you realize."

"What… What do you mean?" Draco snapped; he was really scowling now since he was more awake. "I'm fine, Potter! I think I know my own body better than you!" He coughed a few times after yelling; his throat was parched.

"No, you're not," Harry said calmly. He knew Draco was just like every other patient. When they don't feel pain, they think they're alright. "If you don't believe me, try moving one of your legs." Harry waved his hand over the limbs. "Go ahead, try it."

Malfoy sneered at the brunet. "Is this one of your tests?" Harry merely shrugged and waited. "Fine, Potter. I'll move my legs."

Draco tore his eyes away from the man who he hadn't seen for eight long years. Never in a million years would he think that Harry Potter would become a Healer. Or that he would end up _in_ St. Mungo's and see him. Draco sniffed and looked down at his legs.

Nothing happened.

Slightly panicked, Draco tried again. He didn't want to look up; he was sure Potter was staring down at him. Draco used all his willpower but neither of his legs moved, not even a millimeter.

"Why… I can't!" Draco cried; he looked up and saw Harry looking sadly at him. "Potter… What happened to me…" Draco shook his head and tried to push himself to a sitting position. Potter came up to the bed and pressed his hand down on Draco's shoulder.

"Your spine, the lumbar to be more exact, was misaligned. I straightened it out but I'm afraid your spinal cord was damaged. We have to re-grow those nerves." Harry told the blond; he pointed his wand at the headboard of the bed.

Draco tensed when his bed started to bend at the middle, therefore making him sit. He could stare at his legs properly now. It didn't look any different. But when tried to wiggle his toes, they did not move. His back was the major problem.

"I'm… I can't walk? Ever?" Draco asked quietly. He was too scared to move his arms but when he tried to move his fingers, they listened. Draco was slightly relieved.

"I can't say for sure," Harry answered; his hand was still placed on Draco's shoulder. "I'll try my best to heal you but in the meantime, you will need a wheelchair to move around."

"I'm a fucking cripple is that what you're saying?!" Draco yelled; he looked up at Harry, eyes filled with anger. "I bet you were laughing last night. Draco Malfoy, a cripple. A handicap. I bet you love this, Potter."

"I know you're upset, Draco…" Harry said; Draco sneered and looked away. "… But I just… I did not laugh at you. What I was… I was worried actually. It's been eight years… You disappeared after that night. I never got to thank you."

"Save it, Potter, and why do you care?" Draco muttered, his face was still turned away.

"I care because… I-I can't tell you. Not now," Harry whispered. "But please, let me help you. I really don't care you don't like me, but you're now my patient and it is my job to cure my patients. You have my word that I'll do my best to make you walk again."

"Whatever, Potter… Just do whatever you were here to do," Draco muttered. He didn't sound as angry now.

"Just relax, alright?"

Draco gave Harry a curt nod. Harry sighed and waved the white healing wand over Draco's head. The orange shield appeared and Malfoy let out a small gasp.

"It's just my diagnostic spell. Yes, I know it's different… but it works the same way."

Draco glared at the brunet who now looked like an orange. "Was that blue shield thing one of your spells, too?"

Harry tilted his head to the side, confusion written across his face. Then a smile appeared and he shook his head.

"Oh, that was not mine. It was a nurse, Natalie is her name. It was her monitoring spell."

Draco grumbled and crossed his arms. "Well? Why are you just standing there?"

"I'm waiting," Harry replied.

"What are you—"

_Heart rate: normal. Blood pressure: normal. No infections detected in the lungs, fibulas, spine, sternum, and rib. Lung pressure: normal. Bruising, minor cuts: healed. Spinal cord: still need attention. Lower body paralysis._

The orange shield disappeared and Draco was gaping at the healer. Harry grinned and tucked the white wand back into his robe.

"I did say it was different," Harry shrugged. "Well, you heard what the voice said. Everything is fine, except for your spine."

Malfoy looked down at his lap. "Did you… did you heal all of those? Was I really in that bad of shape?"

"I fixed most of the skeletal fractures," Harry said; he sat down again. "You were… you were practically crushed from head to toe. It was a goddamn miracle your neck wasn't snapped. Your legs, the fibulas, they were so shattered I had to put the pieces back together like a puzzle."

"In other words, I was close to dying," Draco stated. "You should've let me die, Potter. Nobody would care anyway."

Harry was pulling the blanket over Draco when the blond said that. He paused, but did not look at Draco.

"That's where you're wrong. _I _care."

* * *

"Would you like to get out of this room?" Harry asked; Draco looked up from his book and smirked, but nodded nonetheless.

It was nighttime; Harry had left Draco right after doing that diagnostic test. The blond had asked to be left alone, but not before commanding Harry to bring some reading materials to his room. Draco had scoffed at Potter when Harry demonstrated his wandless magic (Harry had wordlessly made books appeared on the bedside cabinet). Now, three hours later, it was dinnertime and Harry was sure Draco would like some real food in his stomach instead of the IV drip in his veins he was administered.

Draco put down his book on the bed and arched his eyebrow at the green-eyed man. "Are you going to carry me there or something? I don't see the wheelchair thing you mentioned earlier."

Harry chuckled and waved his hand in the air. A chair that looked closely similar to the Muggle electric wheelchairs appeared by Draco's bed. The seat actually looked quite comfortable to sit in. Draco craned his neck and frowned; in the places where wheels should be, he found… nothing. He looked up at Harry again and glared.

"How the hell am I going to move sitting in that thing?" Draco asked, jabbing a finger at the chair. "It doesn't even have wheels!"

"You can move, I assure you," Harry said, smiling, "just let me get you into the chair and you'll see." Harry took a step forward and Draco looked at his healer with wide eyes.

"W-what are you doing?! Don't you dare touch me, Potter!" Draco warned; Harry chuckled and smiled lopsidedly.

"How else am I going to get you into a chair?" Harry held up his hand before Draco had a chance to say anything. "Before you say I can use a levitation spell, I'm not going to. A sudden usage of magic, ones that are not healing spells, on your body might have side-effects. I'm not sure yet. I told the nurses that they should wait two days before using magic on you."

"So you're just going to carry me to the chair and drop me down?" Draco asked disdainfully.

Harry sighed and put one arm under Draco's knees. "No, I'm not going to drop you down. You have to trust me, Draco." Draco sniffed and turned away; Harry rolled his eyes and put his other arm behind Draco's upper back.

Harry lifted the blond away from the bed and he noticed how light Draco was. He frowned but didn't say anything about it. Potter carefully set Draco into the chair; the other man immediately placed his arms on the armrests while Harry had to adjust Malfoy's legs so that Draco's feet were resting flat on the small platform.

"Are you comfortable?"

"How comfortable can I be? I can't feel shit from waist down. If I was blindfolded, I wouldn't even know if I was sitting or not," Draco grouched; he sighed when Potter just looked at him. "Look, _Healer_ Potter, it's going to take a long time for me to… get use to this. I know we're both adults now and _should_ put our pasts behind us. But… this is hard… You know? So I apologize for being an arse right now. I know you're just doing your job."

"It's alright," Harry assured. "I'll just tell you how this chair works shall I?"

Harry stood behind the chair and took out his healing wand. He tapped it on the chair and stood back. Harry saw the way Draco gripped the armrest as the chair floated upwards, about six inches above the ground.

"There's not much to say really," Harry said as the chair floated in front of him. It swiveled around so that Draco was facing him. Harry grinned when Draco looked astonished. "You see, I made it so that all you need to do is voice command it. When you say 'Go straight' it would go straight. If you say 'Follow Healer Potter' it would do so. The chair can also find people. I put my own memories, data if you will, into the chair. It knows all the names of the people that work in St. Mungo's. You don't have to worry about it following a stranger."

"Oh… This is… a smart chair," Draco said, failing to find a better word. "Is it ever going to run out of erm… magic?" Draco patted the armrest and looked at Harry uncertainly. "It's not going to die on me, is it? I would hate to be stuck in the middle of a hallway…"

Harry laughed and shook his head in the negative. "No, I'll make sure it's recharged every night." The green-eyed man walked to the door and waited. "Just for tonight, I'll have it follow me. You don't have to say anything. Shall we head to the canteen for dinner?"

"Oh… Sure. I'm famished. I didn't eat before I… had the accident." Draco's eyes darted away for a moment before they were on Harry again. "Well, lead the way, Po—Harry. I don't know where the canteen is."

Harry smiled and opened the slide door of Draco's room. He stepped out and watched as the chair floated towards him. Neither said much as Harry made his way to the cafeteria; he was walking by Draco while the blond stared ahead. As they neared the doors to the canteen, Draco finally spoke.

"I can't really call this a wheelchair can I? It's missing the wheels."

"You can always give it a name. But you would have to tell me the name though or else I wouldn't know what you are talking about. I can also make it that once you say its name, it would appear for you to use, but you would still need to call a nurse to help you get on it."

Draco scoffed. "I'll think about it."

Potter pushed open the doors and held it so that the chair can float through.

"Are you going to name it 'Harry'? I did, after all, made all the modifications. Before, it was just a normal chair."

"Really? Should I call it 'Harry Jr.'?" Draco asked jokingly; Harry was leading him to a table for them to eat at.

Harry pulled a chair away so that Draco's floating chair could be situated. Harry sat across from his patient and smiled.

"I wouldn't mind. Are you really going to name it after me?" Harry asked, batting his eyes in a flirting manner.

Draco's lips quirked; it was almost _cute_, the way Potter batted his eyes.

"In your dreams, Harry. And stop batting your eyes. You're acting like a girl for Merlin's sakes." The pout that Harry had on his face made Draco snort.

"Now, that's not very nice."

"I never said I was nice, Potter."

Harry smirked at the blond. "Jerk."

"Git," Draco threw back.

Both men looked at each other before they smiled.

_It's good to see you again._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Chapter four!! I wish I had a chair like Draco's… I can just sit and float around xD

Thanks for reading!! :D


	5. Chapter 5: Giving Up, Not Quite

A/N: uhm… Enjoy the chapter :D It's about time I start working on this story lol

**Thank you for the reviews!! :D**

Draco and Harry in St. Mungo's. This chapter will start with Harry starting Draco's treatment: re-growing the damaged spinal nerves. Of course, there will be problems…

**Chapter 5**

_**Giving Up… Not Quite**_

"Po—Harry, I feel like I've been lying around for ages! Can't I use the chair and move around the hospital? It would be nice if I can go out to the gardens…" Draco pleaded. "It's really boring, being prone on the bed… and not being able to move."

"I'll bring you out once I finish with the tests," Harry told his patient. "It's not going to take long, so just wait."

Draco growled, glared at his Healer, and flung his blanket to the side. His bottom half of his body might be useless, but his top half was functional. Harry sighed and pulled out the chair to sit down. He waved his hand at Draco's upper torso. A shirt materialized; Draco wasn't wearing anything on top. Malfoy rolled his eyes and tugged at the shirt.

"I'm sick of all these 'tests', Harry!" Draco cried. "You've given me at least… twelve different kinds of potions, but none of them worked! I'm starting to think… I'll be lame for life."

It had been two weeks. Two weeks of constant testing and taking bitter tasting potions. All of them were personally brewed by Harry. Draco knew the healer was just trying to cure him, but the blond was losing hope. Whenever Harry gave him a potion, he _hoped_ and prayed that he would at least feel a small tingle traveling up his spine.

But that never happened.

Harry always tried to relief Draco's dampened spirits. He knew the silver-eyed man's hope was beginning to wane. Hell, if he was in Draco's place, he would feel the same way.

Also, during these two weeks, Harry realized that Draco had called him 'Harry', instead of 'Healer Potter' or just plain 'Potter'. The green-eyed man took that as good sign. It seems… a friendship _could_ be formed between them.

"I'm really sorry, Draco… but you know we have to do this," Harry said softly.

He took out the white healer's wand and waved it around near Draco's legs. Harry muttered a spell; a light yellow mist wrapped around the limbs and his waist. It solidified, forming into something that looked like plastic wrap.

Draco looked down at his legs with round eyes. He had heard nurses saying that 'Healer Potter' always used spells that were extremely unique. Sure, he had seen Harry using the orange diagnostic shield spell and his wand waving that formed white orbs. It was a way to contact nurses, Harry had told him. Then there was the time when Harry was mending his broken fibulas. Harry had told him all about it. Draco made him. The blond had wondered how Harry had become a top Healer at such a young age. But now, seeing all the healing spells Potter had used, it really wasn't that big of a surprise.

"Why in the world did you wrap my legs and waist in plastic?" Draco asked; he almost laughed when Harry blushed.

"Well… Er… You said you hated the way my potions tasted so I spent the whole week trying to come up with a spell that can make your body absorb the potion directly, instead of drinking it." Harry did a one shoulder shrug and gave Draco a lopsided grin. "This is what I came up with. Give me _some_ credit, Draco. At least now you won't have the bitter aftertaste in your mouth. All you need to do is stay still and let this plastic potion wrap do the work. Your body is taking it in and is being transferred to your spine as we speak."

Draco looked impressed. In his mind, he was thinking that Harry's spell was pretty smart. Not only did he _not _have to drink the potion, it was now more direct to the source of his problem. Of course, there was also the aftertaste thing…

"Why, thank you, Harry. It must've taken you quite a bit of time to come up with this spell. You're famous for doing stuff like this, aren't you?" Draco asked.

Harry looked at Draco and was relieved when he saw no trace of mockery on the blond's face. There was a small smile, however. But it was one of those rare smiles Draco would give him sometimes. Ones that were filled with kindness and maybe a bit of admiration; Harry liked seeing Draco smile. It made him more handsome.

"It took me a few days and nights," Harry smiled, "I was even thinking about while I slept." He chuckled when Draco rolled his eyes at him. "We'll just have to see if this works. I'll take off the plastic half an hour later. Don't worry about your skin not being able to breathe. There are microscopic holes on the wrap. You must tell me if you feel anything afterwards. If you do… Well, we're finally getting somewhere." Harry grinned at the blond, making him look younger than being twenty-six.

Draco turned a bit pink on his cheeks and hesitantly returned the smile. He cleared his throat and willed the blush off his face.

"You promised you'll take me out to the gardens, remember?"

"Oh… Well it's no problem. We can be outside and wait for the results. It's the same," Harry replied. "Do you want to go now?"

"No!" Draco snapped. "I don't want people to see the yellow wrap! Merlin, Harry… I look like a mummy that's not wrapped with cloth… but with plastic." Draco crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You could've at least used another color. White… Or perhaps green."

"Hey!" Harry laughed. "I didn't do it on purpose! You're just unlucky; yellow was the color of the potion."

"I've never seen a yellow potion before! You always come up with the weirdest colors!" Draco said, smirking. "Last week, it was the first time I drank a lavender colored potion."

"It's pretty to look at!"

"Then there was the orange one with gold sparkles… How you got the sparkles in there is anybody's guess."

"I was eating an orange when I made that one!"

"Let's not forget the one that was silver. I thought I was drinking liquid mercury."

"Why would I give you liquid mercury? I'm not going to kill my patient! Besides, I couldn't think of a color that time."

"How about the pink one, _Healer_ Potter? Merlin, I remember asking you if you were giving me a fertility potion."

"You're a bloody male, Draco!" Harry threw his hands up, surrendering. Then, Harry frowned. "Wait. Oh… Males _can_ conceive with the help of a potion… Heh. Oops? But I'm sure the _real_ fertility potion isn't pink, if that makes you feel any better." Harry smiled at Draco sheepishly.

Draco sighed. "And then there was that brown sludge you gave me… It can give a patient ideas."

Harry arched his eyebrow at Draco. "What kind of… Oh, stop thinking nasty!" Harry shuddered.

"You can't blame me, Harry. It was brown and thick… and it smelled_ bad_," Draco smirked.

"Only for you, Draco," Harry said, batting his eyelashes angelically.

Draco scoffed and punched Harry on his bicep.

"How dare you punch your healer?!" Harry cried out, laughing.

"Only for you, Harry," Draco returned, copying Harry's earlier words.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm just _that_ special," Potter muttered.

* * *

Draco's floating 'wheelchair' was gliding alongside Harry as the healer led the way to the gardens. It was a beautiful and warm October afternoon, perfect was sitting outdoors and breathing in fresh air.

"So, do you feel anything?" Harry asked as they made their way outside.

"Uh… does feeling cold near my hips count? It's sort of prickly." Draco looked down and tried to pull up his pant legs. "I still can't feel shit on my legs though."

"Cold?" Harry stopped walking; they were standing by a wooden bench. The brunet bent low and wrapped one arm around Draco's back.

The blond automatically threw his own arms around Harry's shoulders and let the healer lift him out from his chair. Harry carried the slender man and set him onto the bench; he made Draco comfortable before sitting down next to him.

"Where does it feel prickly?" Harry asked. Draco frowned and used his left hand to lift up the hem of his shirt.

"Not sure… but it feels like it's near my hipbone," Draco answered. "I can't really pinpoint it. But it's something isn't it?" Silver eyes searched green. "We're getting somewhere aren't we?"

"I would say so," Harry smiled, "after two weeks we're finally getting some results."

Draco nodded, a small smile etched on his face. "It would be great… I don't want a nurse to help me when I need to go to the bathroom… It's embarrassing, you know? I can't tell if I need to go or not, until an accident happens. It was a good thing you put that spell on me…" Draco looked down at his lap.

"I should apologize, Draco. It was stupid of me not to think of it," Harry murmured. "But now, you'll know. That band around your wrist…"

"Yes, no more accidents," Draco said. "I was getting sick of letting nurses see me dirtying the bed."

Harry hummed and leaned back against the bench; he draped his arm behind Draco's head and stared up into the afternoon sky. White clouds floated by and Harry smiled when a few birds flew overhead.

"Draco… How would you feel if I told you that you'll be leaving the hospital next week?" Harry asked, his head still tilted heavenward.

"W-what do you mean?" Draco asked, his voice a bit shaken. _What did Harry mean?!_ "I'm going back to my home? How am I going to cope? I can't do anything by myself, as much as I hate to admit it… I-I can't, Harry…"

Potter finally looked away from the peaceful sky and turned his head to look at Draco, who was staring back at him with worried eyes. Harry smiled softly and reached out to brush some blond hair away from Draco's face.

"I'm not leaving you alone," Harry said.

"But you just told me that I'm going to leave!" Draco cried. "I have nowhere else to go…"

"When I told you that I'm going to be your personal doctor… I meant it in every way. I already filled out forms to release you next week and from then on, you'll be staying with me. I'll take care of you until I find the cure," Harry said patiently. "If you have concerns, tell me now. If you don't want me to be your doctor anymore, tell me before you sign the release forms as well."

Draco almost thought he was dreaming. Did Harry really say that he would be living with him? Draco blinked at the brunet, his lips parted but no words were coming forth.

"Uh… I… Does that mean I'm going to live with you?" Draco stammered. He knew he was blushing, too.

"In a way, yeah, you are," Harry grinned. "My flat's not huge, per say, but I like it. Oh, I also have a little Labrador pup, just so you know."

Draco shook his head and let out a small chuckle. "A small pup, eh? Well, he or she will keep me company then when you're working."

"It's a he and his name is Storm," Harry said proudly. "Before you ask why I named him that, you'll see when you meet him. And as for the working part… I'm not coming back."

"What?! Are you insane, Potter?" Draco asked sharply. "You have a job here; you can't just up and leave!"

"When I said I'm not going to leave you alone, I meant it. Truly," Harry said solemnly. "There are other Healers that are in the same area of expertise as me. They already agreed to take my patients until I can come back."

"And when will that be, Harry?" Draco asked. "You don't know when I can walk again… What if it never happens…?"

Harry scowled and shook his head. "Let's not think of that. Positive thoughts, Draco."

The blond looked down at his useless legs and nodded.

"So… do you have any objections?"

"No… I should really be thanking you, Harry. I still don't really understand why… you're helping me."

Harry sighed, looked away from Draco, and stared straight ahead. There were other patients walking around the gardens. Some elderly and some young. There were those that were accompanied by a nurse, but some were alone.

"Maybe I'll tell you… later. But for now, I just want to help you. Besides—" Harry looked back at his patient with a smile on his face, "—I like talking with you. Have you realized that we've been talking in friendly terms for the past two weeks? I still haven't received a black eye or a broken nose. Yet."

Draco looked up and smirked at the green-eyed man, all uneasiness were gone. "It wouldn't be smart of me if I hurt my own healer. But yes, I noticed. I think… I think perhaps we finally put our pasts behind us."

Harry chuckled and stood up from the bench. "That's good, since you'll be staying with me. I would hate to fight with my houseguest all the time." Harry pulled back his robe sleeve and checked his watch. "It's time for us to go back."

Draco smiled crookedly and held out his arms. "Carry me, oh strong one."

Harry snorted. "Strong my arse… You're just unbelievably light for a man your size. But then, you weighed a bit more than when you first came into my care."

"Are you calling me fat now, Potter?" Draco drawled as he was being lifted from the bench. Harry chuckled very close to his ear, sending warm puffs of breath to caress his skin.

"I'm merely saying you're healthier now," Harry replied and placed the blond into the floating chair. "There's a healthy glow in your cheeks. You're not as pale as before."

"Are you calling me pretty now?" Draco asked cheekily; he chuckled when Harry sputtered. Oh how he loved to tease Harry Potter.

"Draco!"

Malfoy snickered. "It's so easy to ruffle your feathers. I love it."

"Jerk."

"Of course."

* * *

**.: A week later :.**

"Potter, is it safe?"

Harry arched his eyebrow at the blond. "Of course it is! I've done this for five years." He rolled his eyes when Draco stared at him with doubt written all over his face. "You have to get in or else you can't get to my flat." Harry opened his car door wide enough so that he could put Draco inside. "Come on, let me help you in."

"I've never sat in someone else's car before. I… I used to drive myself around a lot but never ride in my friends' cars," Draco muttered; he lifted his arms and let Harry move him to the inside of the car.

"Don't worry. I drive really, really safe. I don't speed… usually." Harry cleared his throat when Draco glared at him. "Only when there's an emergency or something," Harry assured.

"You know… We could've just Apparated or taken the Floo," Draco said lightly with an 'I told you that a thousand times' tone.

"I don't like using the Floo because I can never land properly. I would either fall on my back or land on my face. Since I would have to carry you with me, you might be the one that cushions my fall… and I don't think you'll like that.

"As for Apparating… I might splinch both of us. Enough said."

Draco huffed and strapped on the seatbelt by himself. "This coming from the wizard that defeated the Dark Lord… unbelievable."

"Hey… I'm good at using spells doesn't mean that I can _travel_ properly," Harry said, grinning. He walked around his car and got into the driver's seat. "Well, hold on tight, Draco. Next stop, my flat!"

HPDMHPDM

"That totally messed up my hair, Potter," Draco growled. "You could've at least closed the damn windows! And I thought you don't _speed_!"

"I like it when the wind blows through my hair," Harry said; he was helping Draco into the wheelchair.

"I'm not the one that has hair looking like a bird's nest!" Draco sniped; he patted down his messed up blond hair, but to no fruition. He gave Potter one last snarl before looking away… and then Draco smiled. "Not a bad place, Harry… It's really quiet… Do you own the whole place?"

"Of course not!" Harry laughed and began walking up the steps; Draco's chair was floating behind him. "I just live with people that aren't loud."

"Ah, it's a good thing this chair doesn't have wheels. I don't even want to think about how to get up these steps if it had wheels," Draco said, patting the armrest.

Harry took out his keys and opened the front door. He held the door for Draco, letting the blond go in first.

"Storm? Storm, I'm home!" Harry called and whistled; Draco tilted his head and leaned forward in his chair.

A moment later, a faint scuffling was heard, followed by a small yip. Then there was the click-clack sounds of nails on hardwood floor. Finally, a flurry of black shot out from the living room and bounced all the way to Harry's opened arms. The brunet laughed merrily and held the small bundle of fur tight. Draco chuckled and finally understood why Harry named the pup Storm.

"He's a fast one, isn't he?"

Storm, who was busy licking Harry's chin, stopped and turned its head to see the newcomer. He whined and Harry stood up, holding the small puppy near Draco. Storm craned its head and sniffed around; he then let out a small bark and started panting, its tail wagging at a furious pace.

"I think Storm wants you to pet him. He approved," Harry whispered.

He gently placed the trembling pup onto Draco's lap. Storm wasted no time and put its front paws on Draco's chest, looking up at Draco with its tongue hanging. Draco smiled and patted the dark head. He scratched behind Storm's ear, making the puppy close its eyes in content.

"That's good. I wouldn't want your dog to chase me around and bite me," Draco said. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Storm. Harry told me about you."

Storm let out a yip before jumping off and ran to the living room. Harry rolled his eyes and walked beside Draco.

"Now you know why I named him Storm."

"Yes, he's one excited little thing. How old is he?"

"Just five months… He was practically a newborn when I got him," Harry replied. "I love him. He's my baby so you better treat him like one."

"That makes you Storm's mother," Draco crowed. He laughed when Harry stuck out his tongue.

"I am not!"

"Oh, very mature, Harry… Sticking your tongue out at me."

"I am _very_ mature, Draco."

"Whatever you say."

"You're such an arse, Malfoy."

Draco chuckled and gave Harry one of _those_ smiles.

"I know and I love teasing you."

"Is that all you love about me?" Harry asked jokingly.

Draco shrugged. "Maybe…"

… _And maybe more._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Ah… sorry that this chapter took so long :X


	6. Chapter 6: Awkward Affections

A/N: Yes, it's been almost a month since I last updated this story? Or was it three weeks? Anyway, here's the newest chapter :D School (college) hinders things…

**Thank you for the reviews!! :D**

Let's look into the lives of Harry and Draco… In Harry's home. I'll pick up from where I left off in the last chapter: Same day, but during the nighttime.

**Warnings: Somewhat weak!Draco. Er… Yea. Lol Harry is just Harry. Okay, that wasn't really a warning but I just wanted to make that clear. **

**Chapter 6**

_**Awkward Affections**_

"Do you need any help?" Draco asked from the entryway of the kitchen.

Draco watched as Harry bustled around in front of him, preparing their evening meal. The corner of his mouth quirked as pots banged, bowls clinked, and of course there were the occasional sounds of Harry chopping. The brunet stopped—he was cutting up some celery it seemed—and turned to smile at the blond.

"It's alright… But if you don't mind, can you set the table?" Harry asked. "I've labeled the cabinets and drawers for you since you've never been here before…"

Draco chuckled and made his chair float inside to the kitchen. "That's very thoughtful of you, Potter." He stopped right in front of the counter, where a drawer was labeled with 'utensils'; Draco looked up and found a cabinet door labeled with 'plates and bowls'. "You actually etched the words right into the wood? I thought you would just stick a piece of paper."

Harry cleared his throat. "Ah, yes. I thought the pieces of paper wouldn't go well with the whole… look you see." Draco snorted and opened the drawer to take out two forks, knives, and spoons; Harry continued with his explanation. "And I didn't just label the kitchen. I did it for the bathroom, closets, or wherever things are kept. If I used paper… I would need _loads_ of it and that's just killing trees."

"Of course, Harry," Draco drawled and floated up in his chair so that he could reach the cabinet. "What are we having? Something smells good; I didn't know you can cook." Draco looked over to the stove where a pot of _something_ was cooking.

"Something light. I'm making Minestrone because I didn't want anything too heavy. You've been eating hospital food and I know how awful they can be. We'll gradually work our way up." Harry took a handful of chopped celery and dropped them into the steaming pot. "As for me knowing how to cook… I learned when I was living with my Muggle relatives. I'm not _good,_ but I get by."

Draco was… touched. Harry had actually thought about his wellbeing. He smiled softly to himself and opened the cabinet. He gawked, unattractively if Harry saw him, at the huge variety of plates and bowls stacked inside. There were crystal made ones, some porcelain and ceramics, and some that looked plastic. Draco gazed at those with something close to disgust.

"Uh… should I get the porcelain bowls?" Draco asked, not even bothering to ask about the plastic ones; his hand was itching to reach for the crystal ones, but sadly there weren't any bowls. Draco didn't think eating soup from a plate was a good idea.

Harry laughed outright as he stirred the soup, having added the chicken stock. "Those are fine and you didn't even mention the plastic ones."

Draco sniffed and took two white porcelain bowls. He drifted to the dining table and did the settings.

"Why _do_ you have plastic bowls and plates?" Draco asked offhandedly as he put the silver utensils down.

"Well… Don't you think using my fancy bowls for breakfast is a bit much?" Harry asked; his back was facing Draco so the blond couldn't see the brunet's expression.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes. He could hear a teasing tone to Harry's question. "Potter, you're the first person I know that uses _plastic _bowls for breakfast."

"I don't make extravagant breakfast, like what _you're_ used to eating," Harry sniffed, "I wake up early sometimes and don't have time to make anything. I usually just grab some fruit or have a bowl of cereal."

"Serial? What?!" Draco blurted out, his eyebrows hidden behind his fringe. "Serial killers? Numbers? What the hell, Harry?"

Harry snorted, trying hard not to laugh at the way the Draco cried out. The green-eyed man faced Draco with a smirk. "Malfoy! It's cereal, not serial… Cereal is this Muggle thing… they eat it for breakfast. They're little balls made out of wheat or flour. I drown them with milk… some people might prefer eating it dry."

"Uhg… I don't think I want to try them thank you very much." Draco grimaced. "They're dry and sound awful. I'll just stick with pancakes coated with syrup; they're good enough."

"Do you know how to make them?" Harry asked; he had turned back to the pot of soup. Harry threw some carrots in as he waited for Draco's answer.

"Of course; I've been living by myself for the past eight years…" Draco trailed off and picked at the tablecloth. "One has to learn when they're alone…"

Harry just nodded; he wasn't even sure if Draco was looking at him. Living by yourself was pretty lonely, Harry knew. _He_ lived alone for the past seven years. It got too quiet around the house and that was why he got Storm. Even though he was just a little puppy, Storm kept Harry company. But Draco… Draco wasn't in contact with any of his old friends. Harry was sure it would've been too dangerous to write to them, after all, some were loyal Death Eaters and Draco was a traitor.

Not to mention many of them died that night… All that were left were probably families of the dead. Families that would love to seek out Malfoy and have their revenge, saving the 'Boy-Who-Lived-Twice' and all.

"Well, you're not alone anymore…"

Draco looked up from the tablecloth; he winced when a piece of string came off.

"Excuse me?"

Harry sighed and stopped stirring; he turned around and smiled lightly at the blond.

"I said you're not alone anymore. Do you need your ears checked?" Draco scowled at Harry when the brunet waggled his eyebrows.

"No, I don't need my ears checked," Draco grumbled. "I-I'm just… surprised. That's all." _Does he mean it? I don't think I can bear being alone… Not now…_

"No need to be, Draco," Harry said softly. "I said I will take care of your needs. I'm not going to back out. Trust me. Please."

Draco looked into Harry's eyes. Even though he was more than five feet away, Draco still saw the sincerity shining in those emerald orbs. Harry didn't pity him, Draco knew for certain; Potter wasn't the pitying type. Draco would've hexed the man seven ways to Sunday if he did. The blond saw that the other man really wanted to help him, out of friendliness or whatever it was. As much as Draco didn't want to admit, he liked having Potter around. It was nice to have somebody to talk to, instead of walls and shadows.

Potter and his untamable mop of hair. Oh how Draco wanted to comb his fingers through it…

His bright smile… bright enough to light up a whole room.

His gentleness… gentleness that Draco didn't know Harry possessed.

Harry's laughter.

Harry's acceptance, despite their past.

And did Draco trust him? Yes. _The reason Harry was doing this…_

Draco slowly returned the smile. Harry grinned just a bit wider before turning his attention back to the boiling soup. Malfoy looked down at his lap.

_Maybe because he actually care. _

* * *

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit!" Draco cried.

Harry looked away from the telly and stared at Draco. "What is it, Draco?"

The blond let out an exasperated sigh and threw his hands up. "Potter! We left straight from St. Mungo's this morning, zoomed all the way here in your little sports car and that was it! Are we forgetting something?" Draco sneered at the brunet. "You, Healer Potter, did not go by my flat. I have no clothes! No skin care products! My hair products! My toiletries! I am not going to sit around your flat naked!"

Draco ranted on and on; Harry rolled his eyes and turned off the telly. There wasn't anything good on anyway. Potter calmly stood up from the sofa and looked down at a distressed Draco. He held his arms opened and Malfoy stopped talking to glance at him.

"I want to show you your room," Harry said; Draco scoffed but held out his hands anyway.

"My _empty_ room you mean. I swear, Potter, I am _not_ going to wear your clothes."

"My shirts and trousers are too big for you! And maybe a tad short, I might add," Harry said amusingly. He bent low and snaked one arm behind Draco's back while the other went under Draco's knees. Harry lifted the slender man almost effortlessly; he took three steps and carefully put Draco into the wheelchair.

"You are taking me shopping tomorrow, Harry," Draco declared as Harry guided his chair towards a hallway. "You owe me."

"Mm…" Harry hummed. When they reached the second door on the left side of the hallway, Harry stopped in front of it and turned to look at Draco. "Don't kill me when you see what's inside alright?"

Draco sighed. "Why would I kill you?" Draco then glared at Harry and crossed his arms. "Why, do you not have a bed either?! How _dare_ you make me sleep on the floor! If you think this is a way to make me sleep with you, you got another thing coming!" Draco growled, too angry to realize what he had just said, and slapped his palm onto the armrest of his chair.

Harry blushed at Malfoy's last comment. "Draco, calm down!" _Do I need to put him on Calming Draughts? _

"I will not!"

"Draco…"

"Potter! Open that door this instant! I swear I am going to smack you silly once I see the _extremely_ empty room! That is not how you treat your guests! Not to mention I'm also your patient!"

Harry huffed, knowing quite well that Draco would not stop yelling at him. He opened the door and stepped inside, bowing low and swept his arms, gesturing to Draco to come in. Malfoy drifted past Harry, glaring at the green-eyed man as he went by. Harry rolled his eyes and followed, putting at least a good three feet between him and Draco.

"Can't you at least turn on the lights?!" Draco snapped; he smirked when he heard Harry sigh somewhere behind him. With a sharp snap of fingers, the whole room lit up. "No need to hide the room in da—"

Any scathing remarks Draco had died behind his lips as grey eyes scanned the layout of the room before him.

Harry gulped; Draco was saying something and now he was quiet. Did he over did it? Harry bit his lips as he stealthily made his way to Draco.

'_I took the courtesy of moving his clothes and personal items without telling him… Hope he's not too angry at me.'_

"D-Draco? Are you alright?" Harry stood at the side; he didn't want to stand right in front of Draco, afraid that the blond might send a straight arm punch right in his stomach.

'_Maybe he's going to ask why I have the bed right in that corner. Or why his 'lotions' are all placed based on the size of the bottles.'_

"Harry…"

'_Oh, here it comes…'_

"… You… Thank you. This is simply marvelous," Draco gushed; he turned his head and looked up at Harry's wide green eyes.

"Er… You're welcome," Harry replied uncertainly. That was unexpected. '_This isn't the calm before the storm is it?'_

Draco gave Harry one of _those_ smiles before making his wheelchair move towards the bed. "You had me worried! This bed looks so comfortable…" Draco reached out and smoothed his palm over the bed sheet. "It's silk… This is almost the same as the one I have at my flat."

Harry let out a whoosh of breath. He smiled at Draco and walked over to him. "Well, I know you don't like coarse cotton or things like that. I have another set actually; Egyptian cotton."

"Do you really?" Draco asked excitedly. Slender fingers wrapped around Harry's wrist and squeezed. "Why didn't you say so? Now I feel really bad for screaming at you five minutes ago." Draco looked down and released Harry's wrist. "I'm such a bastard while you're being so hospitable."

"Hey…" Harry whispered and knelt down on the floor. He took Draco's hand and patted it comfortingly. "It's alright, Draco, don't think too much about it. It was my fault for not saying anything. I thought you would be angry at me for moving your things here without asking for your permission."

Two pairs of eyes met and both men looked at each other. Silence stretched between them until Draco smirked.

"You didn't rip anything did you?"

Harry laughed; the tension was broken. He knew Malfoy wasn't the type to be all mushy. That was why Harry liked him so much… so much that he might even love him more than before.

* * *

"I have no say in this, do I?"

Harry was holding Draco's pajamas in his hand, along with a pair of boxers. He shook his head and placed the clothes onto the bathroom counter.

"I told you before. I am not going to let you take a bath by yourself," Harry said calmly. They went through this before. Twenty minutes ago actually.

**.: Swirly, swirly… Twenty minutes ago :.**

"_Potter! I am NOT going to let your eyes roam around my body!"_

"_Well, I don't care, Malfoy! The last thing I want is for you to crack your head open on the side of the bathtub! I am not going to staple your skull back together if that happens."_

_Draco snarled at the brunet and tried to swipe at Harry's head. "Why I oughta… YOU are not going to be inside while I am shirtless!"_

"_That's too bad because I didn't know you take a bath with your clothes on," Harry smirked. Draco turned red in the face. "The nurses at the hospital saw you naked and they were women! I'm a guy! I have the same anatomy as you… So what's the freaking problem?!"_

"_The problem… Problem…" Draco sputtered. "You're my healer, not a nurse!" _

_Draco couldn't come up with a better comeback. _

"_Really? Oh for Merlin's sake… Draco, please… Just let me help you," Harry pleaded. "I swear I'm not going to touch… Well, I have to touch but you know what I mean."_

"_Harry…" Draco growled._

"_Alright! I'm going to turn my head the other way, if that makes you feel better." Harry pouted at the blond. _

_Draco groaned and rolled his eyes. "Fine! Fine, Harry! I admit I need help to get in and get out… But can't I wash myself?"_

"_Fine!"_

"_Fine!"_

"_Fuck… Why do you make everything so hard, Draco?"_

_Malfoy shrugged. "If anything, I think we just love to argue with each other." _

"_Merlin knows you're right…"_

That was what happened twenty minutes earlier, in the bedroom. Now that Harry finally got Draco to let him strip him down, he was getting fidgety. It would be the _first_ time Harry saw Draco naked. No clothes, all skin.

Harry swallowed painfully.

"What are you waiting for? I got the water ready." Draco's voice broke through Harry's thoughts.

Harry steeled himself and made his way over to the sitting man. He told Draco to take off his shirt; Harry didn't need to help the blond with that. Draco only struggled a bit, being in a confined chair and all. Malfoy grunted as he pulled the collar over his head; he tossed the shirt unceremoniously onto the ground. Harry sighed and held out his hand; the wrinkled shirt flew into his waiting hand.

"Don't toss them; just give them to me and I'll wash them."

Draco wrapped his arms around his waist; it was a bit chilly in the bathroom. "You have elves?"

"No, I have a Muggle appliance called a 'washing machine'."

Draco furrowed his eyebrows. "Washing machine? That sounds like a weapon."

Harry snorted. "Anyway. Just put your dirty clothes on the counter from now on. I'll take them once you're inside the tub and start washing yourself."

Harry went down onto his knees and started on unbuttoning Draco's fly. The blond stiffened when Harry's finger touched his trousers.

"You know when I was rummaging through your closet at your flat I tried not to take any trousers that were too tight. All I got were sweats, dress pants, and some baggy jeans that you have. I hope that's alright." Harry popped the button and had unzipped the zipper.

"Oh. That's fine," Draco murmured. "It's not like my bottom half matters…" When Harry looked up at him, frowning, Draco smiled. "What I meant was that I'll be sitting in this chair; people wouldn't really notice, would they?"

"I guess not," was the quiet reply. Harry got off the ground and stooped low. "Draco, I have to uh… I have to lift your bottom up… I need to take off your trousers." Harry was now flushed red.

Draco smirked; it seemed Potter was just as embarrassed as he was, maybe even more so. He nodded and wrapped his arms around Harry's neck. He sighed softly when he caught a faint whiff of Harry's scent.

"Harry, do you use apple scented shampoo?"

"What?" Harry jerked his head up so that he could see Draco's face; he was about to pull the waistband of Draco's trouser down.

"Do you use apple scented shampoo, I asked."

"Oh… Yeah… It's on the ledge of the tub… You can use it if you like," Harry smiled crookedly, "do you like the smell?"

"It's fresh…" Draco pulled himself a bit closer to Harry. "Alright, Potter, take off my trousers."

"So demanding," Harry chided.

With difficulty, Harry wrapped one arm around Draco's waist and lifted his whole upper body, taking Draco with him. The blond was like a weight but this was the only way he could take off Draco's trousers and pants. With his other hand, Harry quickly yanked the trouser down; he blushed when his hand skimmed across the soft skin of Draco's bottom. Malfoy moaned and buried his face into Harry's shoulder.

It was so… awkward.

"No worries, Draco, I promised not to look," Harry said as he lowered Draco back down into the chair. He patted around until his fingers came in contact with the bunched up trouser and pants, thanking every god and deity that he didn't touch… _there_. "I'm going to er… straighten your legs now.

Draco only grunted in reply and Harry pulled everything down the slender legs. Potter cleared his throat and placed the clothes onto the counter.

"Alright… Uhm, just put your arms around my neck again. I'll put you into the tub now," Harry muttered.

"Look, Harry… It's okay. Just… I rather have you look than dropping me because you _weren't_ looking at where you are going." Draco put his arms around Harry's neck again; he pressed his cheek on the brunet's shirt-covered shoulder. "Don't drop me."

Harry was taken aback; he was shocked for maybe two seconds before he smiled and gently nuzzled the side of Draco's head.

"I won't."

"I hate that you're seeing me like this… I hate it that it had to be you," Draco whispered brokenly. Harry wisely stayed silent. "I don't like people seeing me weak. I'm not weak, Potter."

"I know you're not, Draco…" Harry slowly lifted Draco out and carried the lean man to the bathtub. His heart clenched when Draco actually let out a choked sob.

"I don't know how much more I can take… I'm not used to having someone wait on me. I was so independent…" The dam was broken and Harry felt his shirt getting wet at one spot. "Why… Why does it have to be you, Harry?"

When Draco's body started shaking, Harry held the blond tighter against him.

"I don't know…" was whispered. "I don't know…"

"… I don't hate you… I was just—"

"Shh… it's alright, Draco. I understand."

When the first sob sounded, Harry knew he couldn't leave Draco alone. He stepped into the water-filled tub, clothes and everything, and sat down with Draco still in his embrace. He leaned against the back with Draco placed between his legs. Malfoy turned his upper body and cried fully into Harry's chest, now wet because of the bath water. Potter did not utter one single word; he just held Draco, rocking them both. Somewhere along the way, Harry started petting Draco's head and placing soft kisses.

Neither of them noticed.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: That's chapter six :D So how did I do? :) I know updates are really slow… I'm trying to be as quick as I can :x I'll see ya soon! ;P In my other story haha

Thanks for reading! :D


	7. Chapter 7: Not Yours to Blame

A/N: Why hello again :D Yeah, this story and "Mommy Dearest" are my main concerns at the moment. I love both of these stories. It might seem like I abandon my stories, but the truth is, I don't. I'm just lazy lol.

**Thank you for the reviews!! :D**

Start where I left off last time. They're in the shower. ;D Am I going too fast? I hope not… Harry and Draco both have feelings for each other… They just don't know and won't tell the other person. Stubborn arses. Then, there's Draco with his insecurities…

**Warnings: Meh… Fluff. :) Also with me messing with potion ingredients and their properties. I'm not Snape so I have no idea what I'm doing :P**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_**Not Yours to Blame**_

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

The sound of dripping water from the spigot.

Harry didn't know how long they had sat there in the tub. Maybe it was minutes or hours. He didn't know. All Harry knew was that Draco was pained and he was there for him. He didn't care that his jeans and sweater were soaked through; Harry hardly noticed the wet, clingy clothes. Frowning, Potter wrapped his arms tighter around Draco's skinny frame; the blond was now trembling from the cold and from crying.

"… I'm sorry…"

"Whatever for, Draco?"

Draco took Harry's wrists and pried them away from his bare chest, but did not let them go.

"For seeing me being this way. And for getting you wet," Draco muttered. Unconsciously, he started playing with Harry's fingers.

"You did nothing wrong," Harry said; he curled his fingers around Draco's, locking their hands together.

It seemed neither of them noticed the small gestures. They were just… doing it.

Silence followed and it was becoming uncomfortable. Draco wiggled his upper torso within Harry's embrace. Potter took the hint and released his hold on the blond.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled and moved back bit, making room to tuck his legs under him. It was a good thing his bathtub was on the big side.

"S'alright…" Draco reached out and took Harry's bottle of shampoo, the apple scented one, and placed it into the spell-kept warm water. "Since you're already in here, you want to help me a bit?"

"Uh…" _Oh my god… I'm going to touch him! Fuck! Move away, Harry… Just keep your distance. _"Erm… Sure…" He shifted a bit, sloshing water around the tub.

"Oh, don't sound so uncertain," Draco chided, all previous uneasiness were forgotten. "I'm going to keep my back facing you. Don't even think you're going to get a free show, Potter."

Harry couldn't help but snort at what Draco had said. "I guess I'll be washing your hair then? You take care of your body and I'll just pay close attention to your shiny blond hair."

"Don't be cheeky with me, Harry," Draco huffed. "But yes, please wash my hair. I even said please so you can't refuse."

"Even if you didn't say 'please', I wouldn't have refused," Harry retorted. "Just hold on for a second; I'm going to take off my sweater and jeans. They're getting uncomfortable."

"I'm not going anywhere," Draco mumbled. _Not like I can anyway. _

"Draco, you know that's not what I meant," Harry said exasperatedly. Draco did a one-shoulder shrug.

Harry carefully moved Draco forward, telling the blond to hold on to the sides of the tub.

"Harry, even if my legs are useless, my upper torso is strong enough to hold myself up," Draco drawled; he smiled when he heard Harry huffed behind him; the brunet had stood up to take off his clothes.

"Well… I… I don't want you to fall against my shins and blame me for feeling you with my legs," Harry retorted. It was lame and Harry knew it.

Draco rolled his eyes with a small smile on his face. Harry could come up with the lousiest excuses. Was Harry really the top Healer at St. Mungo's? By the way the brunet acted, it surely didn't seem so. Harry's intelligence needed questioning. Draco's smile got wider and a small giggle burst forth.

"Are you laughing at me?"

Draco snorted and shook his head, his hand covering his mouth to smother his chuckles.

"Oh, Merlin… No, I'm not." It was pretty obvious to Harry that Draco's shoulders were slightly shaking.

"Yes, you are! You're laughing at me, Malfoy!" Harry sat down behind Draco with a huff. "Hand me my bottle of shampoo." He held out his hand, waiting for Draco to give him what he asked for. Malfoy scoffed and took the bottle, giving it to Harry's waiting hand.

"Don't massage my scalp too hard," Draco said. "I really don't want a bald spot."

"Stop complaining and telling me what to do," Harry grumbled. "I _know_ how to wash hair. Just look at mine; it's perfectly shiny and soft." With that said, Draco turned his head around and was just in time to see Harry run his hand through his thick, black hair.

"That nest of hair? It's actually soft? I'm surprised I didn't find a bird living inside." Draco smirked when Harry scowled at him.

"Just because your hair is nice and shiny doesn't mean other people can't have nice hair," Harry grouched; he popped open the lid of the shampoo bottle with too much force. "Turn around and let me start washing your hair." Harry then squeezed a copious amount of the green liquid into his palm.

Malfoy sniffed and turned around; he tipped his head back, almost touching Harry's bare chest (Harry was only wearing his boxers now… no need to get totally naked). The blond man hummed low in his throat and closed his eyes as Harry pour some warm water into his hair and started lathering.

"Mm…" The pads of Potter's fingers felt extremely good on his scalp. The brunet wasn't massaging too hard or too lightly.

It was perfect.

"Am I imagining things or are you really enjoying this?" Harry asked; he smiled and watched as Draco's eyelids fluttered open.

"Less talking and more massaging, Potter," Draco said, although there was a smile on his face. "You know, I should have you do this for me everyday. After all, you are here to serve me." Draco waggled his eyebrows at Harry, who rolled his eyes.

"Serving you?" Harry grinned evilly and yanked Draco's hair. "How's that?"

"OW! Watch it, you bastard!"

Harry grinned and continued to wash Draco's hair.

* * *

"Like I said, I didn't put your whole closet into these luggage bags," Harry said. "But I can always take you back to your house later on." He held up black silk pajamas for Draco to see. "How about this one?"

"They're fine," Draco said; he had disagreed with Harry's previous choice of pajamas, the ones he brought into the bathroom before the bath.

Draco was sitting on his bed, drying his hair and watching Harry's backside the entire time Potter was rummaging through the bags. After his bath, which resulted in Harry almost falling out of the bathtub when he accidentally touched Draco's ticklish spot, Harry had carried Draco to the bed and placed him down. He didn't even bother to put the blond into the chair. But at least Harry had the decency to help him put on his boxers before carrying him outside.

Harry came over and tossed the pajama top onto the mattress; he knelt down and slipped the sleeping pants on Draco's legs.

"Tomorrow, I'll begin my experiments," Harry started, "I already have two potions planned out, but I am hoping I can get another result."

"Do I need to be there?" Draco blushed slightly when Harry's warm hands brushed his shins. He couldn't feel anything though, but he saw that Harry had touched him.

"If you want to watch me brew stuff, then sure," Harry said, chuckling. "I have to warn you, though. There will be lots of smoke. Every time I brew new potions, something will start smoking. It never fails. But I never had a cauldron blow up, so don't worry."

"That is _very_ reassuring, Harry," Draco drawled, "but I want to watch you work. Maybe I can help you in some areas… I _was_ the top pupil in Snape's class, after all."

"I remember. How can I not? I was probably the worst one in his class." Harry stood up; the sleep pants were now all the way up to Draco's thighs. "I have to lift you up again."

Draco wordlessly held out his arms and wrapped them around Harry's shoulder. The green-eyed man put one arm around Draco's waist and hefted the slim man up a few inches, just enough to pull the pants the rest of the way up.

"Harry… do you actually have a laboratory in your flat?"

"Yeah… the very, very last room, down the hall. It has everything I need; I even made the walls sturdier, just in case I did have an explosion." Harry grunted as he tried to pull the waistband over the curve of Draco's arse. It was so tempting… but he didn't want to freak Draco out.

_Stop thinking about it!_

"Are you alright? You're… You seem to be having some troubles…" Draco looked down, seeing Harry struggling with his pants.

"No, I got it…" With a hard tug, the waistband went up and was secure around Draco's hips. "AHA! Told you I got it." Harry then gently put Draco back onto the bed; Malfoy reluctantly untangled his arms from Harry's body.

"You should sleep, Draco. It's your first night here; it's going to take you awhile to fall asleep on a new bed."

Draco looked away from the brunet; his eyes landed on a small digital clock on a bedside cabinet. It read ten thirty-seven.

"… I _am_ feeling a bit tired," Draco murmured; he glanced up at the standing man. "Can you help me move back to the pillows?"

"Of course."

Harry lifted Draco bridal style and walked around the perimeter of the bed. With a brush of wandless magic, Harry made the blanket flip to the side. He placed Draco down onto the mattress, made sure the pillows were fluffed, and then covered the blond with the blanket. After seeing that Draco was settled, Harry straightened his back and waved his hand near the bedside cabinet. A small, glowing blue orb appeared. It materialized and turned into something that closely resembled a crystal ball. Draco frowned and looked up at Harry, waiting for the dark-haired man to explain what it was.

"This is how you're going to call me." Harry touched the glass ball gingerly. "It's an alarm I sometimes put in one of my patients' room, usually for those that required lots of attention. All they had to do was touch it."

"So… If I wake up in the middle of the night and need to use the loo, I just have to touch the blue ball and you'll know?" Draco asked. Inwardly he was thinking that Potter always came up with the weirdest ideas. He never knew there was such a spell…

"Yeah, just touch it and I'll be alerted. I have a similar ball in my room. It would glow red and make sounds," Harry answered. "If you accidentally knock it down, it's alright. It won't break."

"How come you didn't use this spell when I was at St. Mungo's?"

Harry bit his lip and looked slightly uncomfortable. "You were unconscious… and… and I was there with you most of the time when you were awake… You were my top priority."

Draco could detect a very light blush tinting Harry's cheeks.

"I see. Well, I won't abuse it," Draco said, trying to go back to their topic. Harry looked relieved. "I probably won't use it much, but thank you."

Harry smiled. "No problem. Goodnight, Draco."

* * *

"For Merlin's sake, Potter… Have you _ever_ cleaned out your lab before?" Draco wrinkled his nose in disgust. He was floating around Harry's potions lab in his wheelchair. "This vial is crusted with potion residue!" Draco held up a small glass vial he found on the worktable.

Harry was leaning against the door frame, watching with amusement as Draco puttered around in his chair. He rolled his green eyes when Draco held up the crusty vial.

"That was from a month ago… I think." Harry grinned when Malfoy let out a scoff.

"And here I thought Healers would put cleanliness on top of their list."

"Well, I'm no ordinary healer then," Harry replied; he walked over to Draco and stood next to the floating chair. "I'll do some cleaning now before I start working." He looked down at the sitting man; Draco was putting the dirty vial back onto the table. "Are you sure you want to stay here?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Draco asked challengingly. Harry held up his hands in surrender.

"Alright, alright… I'm not going to ask again. You don't need to get offensive."

Draco sneered and made his chair float to one of the many shelves in the lab. "I can help you clean, Potter."

"Are you actually offering?"

Draco hummed and looked at the dark-haired man lazily. "Do you have any rags or washcloths? Seeing how my wand was lost during the accident, I cannot perform cleaning charms."

Harry stopped breathing. He totally forgot about Draco's wand. Oh how the man must've felt without being able to do magic. A wizard without a wand… that's almost like being naked.

"I have some old rags… But can't you do wandless magic?"

Draco sighed and shrugged. "I can, but I was never any good at it. Ever since I've been living amongst Muggles, I ceased to use magic much. I have friends that are Muggles and I guess their influence affected me.

"I live alone, as you know, and I gradually began doing things with my own hands instead of pointing my wand at everything. However, I cleaned my clothes with magic. I had never taken the liking to hand wash or using some Muggle machine to wash them. They'll get wrinkly if I did.

"Sometimes a day goes by without me ever taking out my wand." Draco smirked at Harry, who was listening with his mouth slightly opened. "Did all that answer your question?"

"Uh… Yes. I just… Don't you have this tingling feeling at the tip of your fingers? Don't you feel your magic just itching to come forth from your body?" Harry asked.

"I do… but I try to ignore it. If I get really frustrated, my magic might shoot out in accident." Draco brought his hand up and wriggled his fingers. "Now that we're taking about it, my fingers do feel tingly."

Harry came over to the blond and stood next to him. "You can try using wandless magic to—" Harry looked around and his eyes landed on the dust on some of his ingredient bottles. "—clean the dust off those bottles."

"Potter, I told you I wasn't good at wandless magic," Draco said exasperatedly. "I can't control it properly. If I put too much effort I might blow up your shelf and all the bottles in it."

"Just try, Draco. If it doesn't go well, we'll go shop for a new wand for you. And I can always buy another shelf and new ingredients if they do explode," Harry told the sitting man. He then smiled when Draco looked at him, shocked. "I-I can also help you with wandless magic if you want. It would be something to do in my house, and you wouldn't be bored. I mean, it could come in handy in the future…" Harry blushed when Draco gave him the _smile_.

Merlin, Draco looked handsome when he smiled. It made him look younger. His whole expression softened whenever he smiled. Harry wished he could see it more often.

"You'll help me? I had to learn on my own when I was young… nobody offered to help me." Draco's smile diminished slightly.

"Well, I'm here to help you. Don't even hesitate to ask me," Harry said brightly, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

Draco only smiled in answer.

* * *

Draco was smiling, almost fondly, at the way Potter was so concentrated at the task in front of him. He was sitting across from Harry, whereas Harry was standing behind a bubbling cauldron, frowning a bit as he stirred the contents inside. Harry then puffed out one cheek as he reached for a bottle containing some shrivelfigs. Draco looked down at Harry's notebook and scribbled _shrivelfigs_ onto the page. The brunet had asked Malfoy to write down all the ingredients used for his newest brew.

It was amazing what Harry had done. The man had created many potions, all from scratch. Some were made from an original, but Harry had modified them and came up with much better effects.

"Shrivelfigs, as I found out, have a re-growing property when mixed with aconite," Harry said as he dumped some brown figs into the cauldron. "Of course, to specify so that it would re-grow nerves in the spinal cord, I am going to add sopohorous."

"Sopohorous? But Harry… when that's mixed with aconite, they create a poison!" Draco exclaimed, writing down _sopohorous_ into the notebook. "Potter, you're not trying to poison me are you?"

"Dear Merlin! No, I'm not!" Harry laughed. "There is one more thing I must add before I let this potion sit." Harry took another vial and looked at Draco. "I need to add some valerian. You know what valerian and sopohorous make, don't you?" Harry tapped his index finger on the vial.

"Nerve strengthening property… and they also have a purifying property as well, when put together." Draco's eyes widened then laughed softly. "Oh, that's right! They could cancel out the poison effect. Well done, Harry." Draco beamed and wrote _valerian_.

Harry almost puffed up in pride when Draco praised him. In all his years knowing the blond, this was the first time Draco gave him an approval. Potter grinned drunkenly and stirred the potion with a wooden spoon.

"Now that you have all the ingredients in, how long do we have to wait?" Draco asked; he had been writing short memos in the notebook.

"Around fifteen—Oh Christ!" Harry quickly looked down and waved his hand in front of the fire. He lowered it and the potion stopped sizzling. "Shit… I almost ruined this batch…" Harry then grinned at Draco. "See? I _told_ you it would smoke whenever I brew a new potion."

Malfoy rolled his eyes and peered at the fire. He nodded to himself and wrote _medium fire _in the notebook. Harry came over to Draco's side and read what the blond had jotted down for the past half hour.

_Spinal Nerves re-growing potion (sample number three)_

_Ingredients:_

_Aconite, grounded. One small-sized vial  
Shrivelfigs, three slivers.  
Sopohorous, diced until paste  
Valerian, shredded and then cut into four equal pieces._

_REMEMBER to put base before starting the fire. Add two cups of distilled water; wait until it starts to boil. When see bubbles, add aconite, slowly. Do not carelessly drop into cauldron. When water turns blue, add the three slivers of shrivelfigs by sliding them down the side of cauldron. DO NOT make splashes. Sopohorous can be added after the potion begins to turn green; stir the potion counter clockwise three times. Lastly, add valerian by sprinkling them on top. Stir potion sixteen times clockwise, five times figure-eight, and then let it sit for fifteen minutes._

_**Start with medium fire and keep it that way throughout **__(stupid Potter almost burned his potion)._

"Wow, Draco… You keep really good notes," Harry mused. "It's a good thing you're here… I wouldn't have written all that down if I worked by myself." Harry then read the last sentence; he quirked his eyebrows. "Do you really have to put 'stupid Potter' in there?"

"You _did_ almost burn the potion," came Draco's expected drawl, "I was only putting down the truth."

"Can't you take out 'stupid'?" Harry whined childishly. "I can't be that stupid if I'm brewing all these potions."

"No." Draco smirked; his eyes were filled with an evil flare.

Harry sighed.

* * *

"Here you go." Harry handed a cup of thick brown goo to Draco. Steam drifted upward and Malfoy could smell how horrid the potion was. The blond took the cup and brought it close to his nose. Draco gagged at the putrid scent of the potion.

Dear Merlin!

"Fuck it, I'm not drinking this," Draco muttered. "It smells absolutely horrible! Way worse than what I drank in St. Mungo's."

"Malfoy, just drink the damn potion," Harry said. "Look. I can pinch your nose while you drink. That way, you can't taste the foulness of the potion."

"I don't need you to pinch my nose, Potter," Draco mumbled. "Fine, I'll drink it."

"Good, because I thought I was going to have to force you to take it."

"Let's get this straight before I pass out from taking this… this drink. I have to tell you if anything feels different, correct?"

"Yeah. Even if it's just a small tingle in your lower back, tell me," Harry said. "I have to write all results down, no matter how small they are. From the previous potions I gave you during your stay at St. Mungo's, there weren't any significant changes… Not that they didn't help _me,_ though.

"From what I've observed, the salamander blood I used in that lavender colored potion could be mixed together with aconite and valerian. With these three combined, they could make one hell of a strengthening potion and that is exactly what your spinal cord needs, Draco. If I can find a way to strengthen the nerves and re-grow them at the same time… the chances for your back to have pains in the future will be slim.

"But the problem is that salamander blood and shrivelfigs don't mix… which means I _can't_ mix them." Harry bit his lip and looked troubled. "I must find another re-growing ingredient. I'm sure there are others beside shrivelfigs. The next best thing would be Re'em blood but I've never really used that before…"

Draco was listening to every word that came out of Harry's mouth. He took in the worried expression to the happy smile that had appeared on Harry's face. Potter sincerely wanted to help.

Draco took a deep breath and brought the cup to his lips. He threw his head back and downed the thick goo. Malfoy choked; his eyes watered as the rotten tasting potion slid down his throat. Draco swallowed his saliva a few times, trying to get rid of the horrible aftertaste.

"Harry…" Draco rasped out; Harry was still mumbling to himself.

"Re'em blood is very rare… I think I only have one small vial of it. Must go to…" Harry babbled on, not paying attention to Draco at all.

"Harry, stop for a—"

"There must be some other alternative. How about pomegranate juice?" Harry asked himself, smiling.

Draco rolled his eyes and slammed his cup of potion onto the worktable, making Potter jump in surprise. Green eyes narrowed then widened when Harry found Draco glaring up at him.

"Potter, are you done talking to yourself or do I have to take you to St. Mungo's so that they can check their top Healer's mental health?" Draco smirked at Harry when the brunet blushed.

"Sorry… I was thinking… thinking out loud, I guess. Anyways…" Harry tore his eyes away from Draco's icy silver ones. He found the cup empty on the table. "You drank it? How do you feel?" Harry quickly snatched his notebook and thumbed to the page where he had written down the results from previous tries.

"Nothing yet… I just—Oh…" Draco winced when he felt something jabbing in his lower back. "You better write it down, Potter."

"What? Are you alright?!" Harry dropped to his knees and put one hand on Draco's back. Green eyes widened once more when he felt how _hot_ it felt in that area. "Oh my god… Draco, does it hurt really badly?"

"You better believe it," Draco growled and closed his eyes in pain. "FUCK! Harry… I-I… This is _not_ normal… I've never… Shit." Draco's own hand joined Harry's and he pressed down on his lower back.

Harry threw his notebook down. Who the fuck cares? Draco's in pain! He could feel the muscles beneath his palm going into spasms. It jerked and throbbed and it felt so very hot. Harry was even more worried when Draco began whimpering in pain. Clammy hands clamped onto his wrists and Harry looked up into Draco's pain-filled eyes. Potter almost wanted to cry, seeing how Draco was.

"Harry… Harry, this isn't… You made something happen… I can _feel_ the pain," Draco whispered. He tried a small smile but another jolt of searing pain ran across the small of his back. Draco screamed and his fingers dug into Harry's flesh.

"The pain shouldn't stay that long. It should've passed by now. Something's not right," Harry panicked. "Let me get you to bed and I'll do a test on you. I might even have to bring the potion out of your body. God, I'm so sorry, Draco…" There were actually tears swimming in Harry's eyes and Draco noticed.

Malfoy shakily removed one hand from Harry's wrist and brought it up to cup the brunet's face.

"Not your fault… Never think that…" Draco whispered before he lost consciousness.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: God, I am an awful person :D A whole month of waiting for an update and I end the chapter like that… Yes, I am the Devil.

Thanks for reading! :D


	8. Chapter 8: A Matter of Trust

A/N: Yes, I know I was evil for leaving you guys like that in the last chapter. I just want a little suspense 0:D

**Thank you for the reviews!! :D**

To answer some of the readers' question: Yes, I am pretty certain that I will have Draco be healed in this story. However, it won't happen any time soon. So you'll just have to continue reading. ;-)

**Warnings: Not much. Swearing? Draco being in pain? That's not really a warning… xP  
**

**Chapter 8**

_**A Matter of Trust**_

Right after Draco collapsed in his arms, Harry panicked. He quickly stood up, stepping on his notebook in the process. The book was the least of his problems right now. The main concern was the unconscious blond slumped in the wheelchair. A small whimper bubbled out from Harry's mouth as he took in Draco's extremely pale face.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Harry kept on mumbling, even as he lifted the blond from the chair. "I don't know what went wrong… I will never forgive myself if you're hurt more than you already are." Harry's mind was solely concentrated on Draco; he barely realized he was talking to himself. "I need to drain the potion out. I'm sure something went wrong. It was probably the valerian… Or maybe it was the shrivelfigs."

Harry carried Malfoy, bridal style, out of the laboratory. Harry kept his eyes on Draco. The man's breathing was shallow and Harry saw beads of perspiration dotting Draco's forehead.

"You're breaking out in fever…" Harry muttered and quickened his pace to his own bedroom, not Draco's.

As soon Harry was inside his bedroom, he rushed over to his bed and used wandless magic to make his comforter curl into a roll at the foot of the bed. Harry set the blond down, carefully placing Draco's head onto the fluffy pillow, set his body straight, and had the arms stiff at the sides. Harry then took out his Healer wand and waved it over Malfoy's prone body. Draco's jumper was gone and so were his sweats (Draco hardly wore trousers in Harry's house). All that was left was Draco's boxers. If things were different, Harry would've blushed from seeing Draco's almost naked form.

"Okay, alright… Yes, I need to expel the potion in your body." Harry fumbled with his white wand, his hand shaking slightly.

Pressing the rounded tip on Draco's forehead, Harry slowly traced his wand down to Draco's nose. From there he moved the tip of his wand to the blond's lips before making a straight line down to Draco's throat. Harry needed to do all that in order to banish any leftover potion.

"Wake up, Draco… Please," Harry pleaded softly; the wand was now at Draco's chest.

With a swirling motion right over Draco's abdomen, Harry pulled his wand away. A string of brown liquid followed after. That was the potion Draco had ingested earlier. His lips firmly pressed together, Harry flicked his wrist, breaking the brown thread from Draco's body. One twirl of his wand and the potion thread was gone. Immediately after, Draco's body shuddered and his breathing wasn't as labored as before. Harry let out a breath of relief and sat down next to the blond. With some whispered words, Harry spelled Draco's clothes back onto his body. He took Draco's hand and held on, noticing how cold Draco's hand was. With his free hand, Harry placed it on Malfoy's forehead; the man still had a small fever.

_He needs a Fever-Reducing potion when he wakes…_

Harry was brushing the blond fringe away from Draco's forehead when the pale eyelids fluttered lightly. Harry stopped his hand movements and stared down, willing silently for Draco to open his eyes.

"Draco? Draco, can you hear me?" Harry gripped the blond's hand tighter. "Come on, Draco… wake up."

Draco's index finger moved, touching Harry's knuckle. The green-eyed man smiled, a bit more relieved, and leaned closer to Draco's face.

"Draco… I know you can hear me."

Malfoy's eyebrows scrunched up together and then, slowly, his silver orbs revealed themselves. Draco looked disoriented but that was to be expected.

"… Harry…" Draco licked his lips and smiled lightly. Harry's face was looming very close to his. "Am I…?"

"Shh, hold on. I'm going to do a test on you, just to be safe." Harry muttered a spell and the orange shield enveloped Draco.

_No lingering poison detected. All traces of potion were removed. Slight fever._

Harry sighed in relief and the shield disappeared. Draco was still looking a bit dazed, breathing softly through his lips.

Harry looked at the bedside cabinet. A second later, a glass of water appeared. He helped Draco sit up in bed, putting two large pillows behind Draco's back to support him.

"You're fine, from the looks of it. However, you have a slight fever… most likely from the potion and not the pain," Harry said; he looked down. "I'm so sorry, Draco… I didn't know it will give you such a reaction."

Draco glanced down at their intertwined hands; he gave Harry a light squeeze. Potter felt the touch and gasped, trying to move his hand away. He totally forgot he was still holding Draco's hand. Draco, however, refused to let go. He held on. Harry blushed and let Draco hold his hand.

"I think I remember saying that it's not your fault," Draco whispered; his voice was still hoarse. "You were—" Draco stopped and coughed a few times. Harry looked alarmed and reached for the glass of water.

"Don't talk too much, Draco. Here, take a sip." Harry pressed the rim of the glass on Draco's parched lips. Draco greedily drank what Harry offered him. After drinking half the glass, Harry set it back down on the cabinet. He moved Draco until the blond was half lying onto the pillows. "I'll do the talking for now, alright?"

Draco rolled his eyes but nodded at Potter, smiling.

"First of all, I have to admit that I'm not too sure what just happened. You were in great pain, that's for certain, but I don't know if it was because of what I mixed, or if you are allergic, or… your spinal nerves just absolutely refused to be healed."

Harry knew the last couple of words were harsh, but he had to say it. He looked at Draco; the blond didn't even flinch at his words.

"I'm not so sure if it was because my nerves refused to be healed, Harry," the blond said, frowning, "if they were… I shouldn't even have the pain." Draco let out a small chuckle. "We're talking about my spinal cord as if it was a person, a living being. How crazy is that? And stop glaring at me. I know you said I shouldn't talk, but I can't help it." Draco smirked at Potter when the brunet scowled at him for speaking up.

Harry sighed and looked down at Draco's legs. "It could be the poison effect… maybe I didn't add enough valerian…" Harry looked uncomfortable after saying those words. It made sense. Pain, fever, and muscle spasms were signs of aconite and sopohorous poisoning…

Harry paled. "I _did _poison you, Draco! It _is_ the valerian! I didn't put enough… Not enough to counter the aconite and sopohorous! If-if I didn't expel the potion from you body quickly enough… it would've spread to your brain and… Oh my god…" Harry shook his head and didn't meet Draco's searching eyes.

"Harry… it's alright. _I'm _alright." When Harry still refused to look at him, Draco glowered. He took Harry's other hand and held them together within his. "You're an excellent healer, Harry. If you weren't, St. Mungo's wouldn't have made you their top Healer. I know for a fact that my life is safe in your hands. Even though I _was_ poisoned, I'm alive now, aren't I? You prevented the poison from spreading to my brain. That alone shows you know what to do when a patient's life is in danger. You will not let them die. You won't let me die." Draco smiled when Harry looked at him, with an adorably confused expression on his face.

"You put so much trust into me… What if I can't heal you, Draco? What if I make you sick again?"

_I can't lose you, Draco, not when I just found you…_

"I trust you," Draco said again, firmly.

_Funny how I can trust you so quickly… But I think I always had trusted you._

Silence passed between them. When it became uncomfortable, Harry cleared his throat and grinned. He extracted his hands from Draco's and stood up from bed. Draco looked worried but Harry reached out and tucked Draco's hair behind his ear. Harry chuckled softly when Draco blushed, his pale skin showed the pink patches clearly.

"I'll be back. I'm just going to fetch you a Fever-Reducing potion. You're still slightly warm. "

"Oh…" Draco felt his forehead; it was indeed warm.

"Stay put, and close your eyes or something. You need rest," Harry said firmly and turned away. Before he took a step, Draco's hand wrapped around Harry's wrist and stopped the brunet from going any further.

"Tell me something, Harry." Draco waited until Harry was looking at him with questioning eyes.

"Yes?"

"How did you get the potion out? Did you pump my stomach like how they normally do it at hospitals? Like the Muggle hospitals?" Draco pouted a little.

"Pump your stomach? I don't even have the machine here in my house. No, Draco, I have my own way of bringing bad substances away from a body. If you were conscious, I could've given you a potion to force you to vomit everything back out… but since you were out cold I did something else.

"I created a spell, you see, to bring a substance out from a patient's body. All I needed to do was—" Harry made a swirling motion with his index finger right where his belly was, "—and pull my healer's wand away and with a flick, everything is gone."

Draco gaped at the man standing beside him. That procedure was painless and quick! Much better than being forced to barf out all his meals from the previous day, not to mention there was also the horrible aftertaste…

"Wow… you did that to me?" Harry nodded. Draco shook his head with a small smile. "You-you're brilliant… By doing that, I don't even have to suffer from stomach cramps!"

"You were in pain already, Draco… and your life was in danger. I couldn't wait so I had to do what was quickest." Harry looked troubled for a moment before a smile spread across his face. "Now, let me go get that potion for you." With that said, Harry left.

He was back not three minutes later, holding a vial of blue liquid. Harry sat down at the edge of the bed and uncorked the vial. Draco took the potion and downed it, making a face as the thick concoction slid down his throat. Harry immediately handed the blond a refilled glass of water.

"Sorry about the taste. I still can't make potions taste better," Harry joked; Draco mock-glared at the brunet and handed the glass back to Harry.

"Potions will always taste like shit, no matter what."

"Well, I _did_ try to get rid of the awful taste, but that turned out badly." Harry shrugged and grinned when Draco looked at him sarcastically. "What? I did try, but the taste got amplified instead… I never tried again after that."

Draco hummed and settled deeper into the pillows propping his back. It was then he realized he was not in his own room but Harry's.

"Harry… Why am I in your room?"

Potter cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck. "I was frantic… didn't really care where I took you. I was scared, and all I thought about was that you would be alright and that you would wake up." Harry reached for his rolled up blanket and pulled it up, covering Draco's body with it. "You can stay here tonight. I don't want to move you since you are still recuperating. I'll sleep in your room or something for the night."

"That's not right! I'm the guest and I'm forcing you to sleep in the guest bedroom?! Just take me back to my room, Harry, I'm fine!" Draco argued. He felt flattered that Harry cared about his well-being, but it really wasn't right to make Harry sleep in his room instead.

"No," Harry said firmly. "You're staying here and that's it. As your healer, I'm telling you to rest now. As Harry, I'm still telling you to rest and that you don't have to worry about kicking me out from my own bedroom." Harry winked at Draco, causing the blond to roll his eyes. "How about this? If you go to sleep now and stop thinking so much, I'll take you out tomorrow."

"Are you bargaining with me, Potter? You should never bargain with a Malfoy," Draco said, smirking, "but since you said shopping, how can I refuse?"

The green-eyed man laughed. "You can't because I know you're the type that loves shopping," Harry said. "Remember, if you need anything, just touch the orb, okay?" Harry then gestured to the orb on his bedside cabinet.

"Mm… I think—" Draco let out a yawn, "—the potion is kicking in. I'm starting to feel drowsy… did you mix some Sleeping Draught in it?"

"Yeah, I want you sleep better," Harry murmured and got up; he smoothed the blanket and smiled down at Draco. "I'll see you in the morning."

Draco yawned again and closed his eyes.

"G'night…"

* * *

"Draco, would you stop picking at your jumper? It's going to have holes by the time we get there," Harry chided. He had his eyes on the road, but he still could see Draco nervously tugging and picking at his grey jumper.

"Shut up…" Draco muttered without malice. He bit his lower lips and stopped fidgeting as Harry had asked him to. "I-I haven't been out in the public since the accident… You can't blame me for feeling a bit agitated, Harry."

Harry sighed and with one hand on the wheel, he reached out with his other hand to pat Draco's thigh comfortingly.

"I asked you, which was stupid on my part, if you've been to the Muggle part of London before—of course you have—so I know that's not the problem," Harry said and placed his hand back on the steering wheel. "Just stop thinking about it, alright? I'll be there with you." Harry looked to his left and found Draco staring out the car window, watching the other cars in the street zoom by.

"I know you will be, Harry, but it's not the same…" Draco muttered to the window. "People will stare at me. The reason I lived among Muggles was because they don't know who Draco Malfoy is. To them, I was just an ordinary young man with blond hair and grey eyes. I blended right in with them. They couldn't tell if I was a wizard or not. Now, I'm a man in a bulky wheelchair… a man that seems too young to be disabled. I really don't like the extra attention…"

Harry frowned but kept silent.

"As I had said before, I'm not used to having somebody be around me all the time. I was independent and I had planned on staying that way. Sure, I made friends, went out with them, and hung out, but… I was still somewhat distanced from them."

"Does that mean you don't like it when I'm around you too much?" Harry just had to ask. He didn't want Draco to feel uncomfortable living in his home. If Draco wanted privacy, he'll give it.

"No! No… I-I… Not you, Harry." Draco looked away from the window and stared straight in front of him. "You're… different. Don't make me explain why you are… You just are."

Harry chuckled and they didn't talk about that topic for the rest of the car ride.

* * *

Harry huffed and dumped five shopping bags onto the hardwood floor of his flat. Storm flew out from the living room and started barking and yipping when he saw Harry. Draco chuckled and set the bag that was on his lap onto the floor as well. Storm then bounded over to that bag and sniffed around. The puppy's eyes stared up at the blond and barked. Draco bent his body and reached for the tiny black pup. Storm happily walked between Draco's outstretched hands and let the man pick him up. Harry rolled his eyes and waved his hand over the discarded bags; they floated off the floor and followed Harry as the brunet pushed Draco further down the hallway.

Because they were out with Muggles, Harry had given Draco a normal wheelchair instead of the floating one he used around Harry's flat.

"You see? All that worrying for nothing," Harry said as he pushed the wheelchair. Draco was playing with Storm's ears and he looked up at Harry.

"Worrying?" Draco smirked.

"Yes, worrying. You were worried that the Muggles would stare at you like some kind of monster."

Draco sighed and scratched Storm's head, making the pup whine happily. "Okay, fine, I was scared. I would be a total liar if I said I wasn't. I really thought they would look at me as if I'm from another planet… But they didn't. I have much to learn about Muggles…"

"Well, it's not really weird to see a person sitting in a wheelchair, Draco. Just because it's rare in the Wizarding world, doesn't mean it's the same in the Muggle community."

Draco hummed and leaned back against the wheelchair; he held Storm close to his chest and just hugged the black puppy.

"Come on, Potter, make haste. I have much unpacking to do."

Harry looked behind him. The six shopping bags were close to exploding. Draco went crazy once he saw clothing stores. Harry was sure five full bags were of Draco's clothes; Harry only bought himself a new winter coat. Some of Draco's clothing was put into the sixth bag as well… so that meant Draco had five and a _half_ bags of new clothes. Usually Harry loathed shopping, especially for clothes, but when he saw how carefree Draco was during their shopping time, he realized he didn't mind so much.

"That's what happens when you buy six bags of clothes, Draco," Harry said, laughing, "it's a good thing your room has a closet big enough to fit them all."

"You just don't appreciate the beauty that is clothes," Draco sniffed, "but at least I persuaded you to buy that coat. It was gorgeous and looked wonderful on you." Malfoy turned around and gave Harry a warm smile. Harry blushed and smiled almost shyly.

"Really? You really think I looked good in it?"

Harry never shopped for things that looked _good_. All that mattered was that they were wearable.

"Of course! I had you model for me. Trust me, Harry, I'm an expert when it comes to fashion."

"I'm not going to argue with you on that!" Harry laughed, agreeing with the blond. "I needed a new winter coat anyway."

As they neared Draco's bedroom, the blond gently placed Storm on the floor. The Labrador pup bounced away from its owner and Draco, most likely back to the living room.

"Your dog is so happy all the time… I sometimes wonder if dogs have moody moments," Draco said suddenly. Harry opened the bedroom door and pushed Draco inside, with the bags following.

"I'm sure they do," Harry answered. "Besides, Storm is practically a baby; he's not even one yet."

"Storm doesn't have things on its mind… not like you and me," Draco murmured. "You know… I had wondered about how things would be if I never came back to England. I never told you… but I lived in France for a year."

"You did?!"

_I wouldn't have seen you again…_

"Yeah, I didn't like it though… That's why I came back."

Harry turned halfway around and waved his hand at the shopping bags; they dropped to the carpeted ground silently.

"Things would be different, I'm sure," Harry whispered and he picked up three of the bags. He walked over to Draco's bed and put them on the mattress.

"There was another reason… Do you know why I came back?" Draco asked; his eyes wide with something close to fear.

Harry turned and sat down on the edge of the bed. He tilted his head to the side and his face broke out with a lopsided grin.

"Why would I know? I haven't seen you or heard of you for eight years, Draco."

Malfoy gulped and wheeled himself a bit closer to Potter. When he was three feet away, Draco stopped and stared at Harry's green eyes, unblinking.

"I came back… because there was somebody I could not forget."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Chapter 8! Done! :P Is that another cliffhanger? Gasp? I'm such a… bad author! ;x

Thanks for reading! :D


	9. Chapter 9: Unforgettable

A/N: I am so good with cliffhangers… Just kidding ;) You should cross your fingers that I don't do it AGAIN for this chapter, too.

**Thank you for the reviews!! :D Pretty Draco dolls for everyone! **

I was called EVIL when I had that awful cliffhanger in the last chapter :-( That's not very nice :D –takes off the devil horns- See? I am perfectly human.

**Warnings: Erm. Nothing? Harry being moody. Draco being moody. **

God, I am so sorry that this chapter took a month! ;x

**

* * *

  
**

**Chapter 9**

_**Unforgettable**_

"I came back… because there was somebody I could not forget."

The lopsided smile disappeared from Harry's face. The hand that was toying around with one of the bags stopped. Green eyes bored into the pair of grey ones that stared at him, unblinking. Harry's heart clenched.

_So there is someone… Draco's heart belongs to somebody else. Not mine. He was never mine… I don't even know if he likes men. _

Draco gripped the armrests of his wheelchair. Harry had yet to let out one syllable. _Did I scare Potter? Does he know something? _Draco was snapped out from his stupor when Harry shifted his body on the bed.

"So… Who's the lucky lady?" There was a smile on Harry's face, Draco noticed, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Lady? Harry, what are you talking about?" Draco asked. "I didn't say anything about—"

"It's none of my business. You don't have to tell me," Harry cut Draco off. He tore his eyes away from Draco's and stood up, a blank mask over his face. Draco felt dread pouring over his head. He had never seen Harry like this before…

"I'll leave you to your unpacking," Harry murmured and started for the door. "If you need me… I'll be around…"

The door closed behind him and Draco was alone with six bags of clothes in his room.

* * *

Draco was wheeling himself down the hall. Harry's winter coat was folded on his lap. An hour ago, when Harry told him to unpack, Draco did exactly that. He had never, since he had been staying with Harry, heard Harry's voice being so… cold. During the hour, while Draco placed his newly bought clothes into the appropriate places, his mind had been swirling.

_Maybe it was something I said?_

_Maybe Harry knows I like him?_

_Maybe… he's homophobic?_

_Maybe…_

There were many 'maybes' floating around in Draco's head. But the thing that scared him the most was that Harry was now disgusted with him. Draco hated himself at the moment.

_I shouldn't have said anything! Me and my big mouth… _

Draco stared at Harry's bedroom door for maybe two minutes before he finally made up his mind to knock. After two sharp raps on the painted white door, Draco lowered his hand.

"Harry? Is it alright for me to come in? You forgot to take your coat when you left."

The blond heard a faint "Oh… Yeah…" from the other side. He turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Harry was lying vertically on the bed; his left leg was draped over his bent right knee. Draco's eye twitched as he watched Harry's sock-covered foot swinging left and then right.

Left, right… Left, pause, right.

Draco wheeled his chair closer to the bed. Potter gave no signs that he heard Draco coming in as he was staring at the ceiling of his room.

"Harry, you didn't take your coat…"

"Just leave it at the foot of my bed, Draco. Thanks." The foot swung right, tapped the air, and it went back to the left side.

Grey eyes followed the path of Harry's foot. It was like a freaking pendulum.

"Harry, why are you…?"

"It's nothing, Draco. I'm just tired from shopping for five hours straight. I don't usually go out for such a long period of time," Harry muttered. He was still not looking at the blond.

_Just let me sulk in peace, Draco…_

"Well, you seemed perfectly fine until I told you about why I came back to England!" Draco said, his tone a bit harsher than he intended. Harry winced, but still didn't turn his head to look at Draco properly.

"The fatigue didn't catch up to me an hour ago… I'm dead tir—"

"Fuck you, Potter. You're acting like a prick right now and it's impossible to talk to you. Hell, you're not even looking at me! Am I _that _revolting to you? Is it because I don't like women?! Here I thought you weren't one of those people that would judge someone because of their sexual orientation! I guess I was wrong!" Draco spat; he growled and threw Harry's folded coat at the body on the bed. It landed right on Harry's chest. "Just lay there and mope, Potter, and see if I care!"

Harry stopped swinging his foot the second he heard Draco saying that he did not fancy women. He was wrong. Maybe there was a chance…?

"Draco… Wait…" Harry sat up slowly. The blond was already wheeling himself out of Harry's room. All Draco did was ignoring Harry and continued on his way out. "Draco, please… I'm sorry for being a jerk. You don't understand…"

Malfoy stopped pushing at the wheels and stopped but did not turn around to look at the man on the bed.

"I understand completely, Harry," Draco said coolly. "You think I'm some kind of a freak for liking men? Well, I'm sorry that I disgust you. I'm not perfect like you are."

"No! I'm _not_ disgusted of you!" Harry yelled and then heard Draco scoff. He took a deep breath and got off the bed, the coat landed on his mattress. "If I say that I think you're a complete repulsion because males interest you, then I must think of myself as one as well. I am not perfect, Draco. Liking men doesn't make us imperfect. We're human, just like the rest of them. Things do not change because of that."

Draco slowly turned his wheelchair around and stared up at Harry. "You don't think it's…?"

"No, I don't. I think I just blurted out to you that I'm… gay. I have no right to tell you it's wrong." Harry took a step closer to Draco and knelt down. "When you told me you came back because there is someone you couldn't forget… I guess… I…"

"You what?" Draco pressed.

"The first thing that came to mind was that you have some girlfriend here… You never said you like men instead. I guess I was being stupid and… jealous at the same time." Harry met Draco's eyes and cupped the blond's face. "I don't want to scare you… But I want to know you. More than just friends… That night when you healed me on the battlefield… I've always wanted to find you but somehow you managed to remain hidden. Eight years, Draco… During these eight years I've never truly loved anybody romantically. Do you want to know why?"

"Are you going to tell me if I say yes?" Draco asked.

"I'll tell you. I know your heart belongs to some—"

"Why do you want to find me?" Draco asked, stopping Potter from completing that sentence. "Tell me now, Harry. I want to know." He placed his own hand over Harry's, pressing the tanned one down on his cheek.

"I… Because of you. I could never love some other man when the only one I ever loved is you."

"Me?" Draco squeaked. He couldn't believe what he just heard. _Harry loves… me?_

Potter sighed and slipped his hand away from under Draco's. "Yes. You're probably thinking I'm stupid for even falling in love with you all those years ago. I'm sure you don't even like me that way…"

Draco smiled softly and grabbed Harry's hand again, only this time he held it, their fingers curled around each other.

"… I left England because I was hiding from the remaining families of the Death Eaters. That was one reason. When I left, I knew I wouldn't see the person again, but I left anyway. Back then, I was scared. Leaving that person behind was hard, but I wanted to live."

"But you came back for him… You must love him very much," Harry said sadly. He had spilled his feelings out to Draco, but the blond obviously loved the mystery man very much. Maybe they'll be just friends…

"Yes, I love him," Draco replied. He could see Harry deflate in front of his eyes. "Seeing him hurt at the end of the battle… I had to help him. He was just laying there, his leg bleeding because of a dark curse cutting him. I had to pretend I didn't care about him, pretending I could care less. It pained _me_, seeing him lying there, hurt. He was the hero and he went through enough pain and sorrow already. I helped him."

"… What?" Harry looked bewildered.

"… I made him fall asleep so that he wouldn't be in pain. The healing procedure was excruciating. I made him sleep because I didn't want him to see me leave.

"I left him there, unconscious, not knowing I would see him again eight years later. Not knowing that he would be the one to help me this time. Yes, I came back to England but I never thought I would really see him again."

Harry swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He could see the unshed tears in Draco's eyes; could feel the cold of Draco's hand.

"Draco…"

"That person, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't forget. Do you know how much I wanted to forget _you_?" Draco cried and Harry immediately pulled Draco closer.

"I just wanted to move on with my life…" the blond mumbled into Harry's shoulder.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you, Draco… Never. Even after all these years, I've hoped that one day I can see you again. You… You're the one I want to spend my life with…" Harry murmured into Draco's hair. The blond sobbed, his tears soaking Harry's sweater.

"If you'll let me… I can keep you safe, make you happy. Let me love you, Draco."

Draco nodded silently. "I never stopped, Harry. I never stopped…"

Eight years of wanting to forget because of thinking the other did not love back…

Eight years to hold such pain…

Eight years was such a long time.

* * *

"Stay with me tonight," Harry whispered to Draco, who was on the bed next to him.

After their heartfelt confessions, both Harry and Draco decided it was best to leave the room and continue to work on potions for Draco's spinal problem. Harry had thought it was a way to put his mind back on track. Harry had another potion all planned out but it didn't really work on Draco. All Draco felt was something like a hand kneading into his back muscles. That lasted about five minutes before Draco felt nothing again. At least this time he wasn't poisoned.

After he poured out his soul, Draco turned shy towards Harry. He asked the green-eyed man what they were now. Potter teased him, telling Draco that they could be lovers, partners, or boyfriends. Draco blushed when Harry mentioned 'lovers'. Technically, they weren't. Hell, they hadn't even kissed properly yet. When the blond pointed that out, a saucy smirk appeared on Harry's face and before Draco could utter a single word of protest, Harry's lips found Draco's.

And so, that was their first kiss. In the potions lab… With smelly fumes on their hair and clothes.

How romantic.

After that, Harry claimed that Draco was now officially his boyfriend.

"S-stay with you?" Draco asked. He felt his face heat up. Thank god the room was dark or else Harry would've made fun of him.

The brunet chuckled softly and turned his body halfway so that he would face the other man.

"I just want you to sleep next to me. I'm not asking you to do anything," Harry said, snickering. "What were you thinking in that dirty mind of yours?"

Draco spluttered and smacked Harry on his right thigh. "I do _not_ have a dirty mind. If anything, I say that's what _you_ have."

Draco turned his head so he could stare at Harry. He couldn't do much with his lower half of his body, but moving his head and arms were still possible. When Harry smiled softly at him, Draco couldn't help but smile back. Harry was finally his. Draco still couldn't believe it; it seemed like a dream.

"Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?" Harry frowned and threw an arm across Draco's waist.

"God, Potter! Have you notice that your room is dark? I can barely see two inches away from me," Draco muttered. "You're a narcissistic git, you know that?"

"Hey! I'm not the one that spends almost two hours in the bathroom every morning and night," Harry huffed, "you're the vain one."

Draco twisted his upper body and pinched Harry's bicep. "I have to make myself presentable. If I looked like a slob, would you love me then?"

Harry chortled and leaned in, kissing Draco on the tip of his nose. Draco scrunched up his face cutely before scowling at his boyfriend.

"I love you for you, Draco, not because you look beautiful," Harry told his boyfriend. "Even if you look like a man that hadn't taken a shower for weeks I'll still love you. But being pretty is an added bonus." Harry then pressed another kiss, this time on Draco's eyelid. Malfoy grinned in the dark, not caring if Harry saw or not.

Normally, Draco would've gagged at Harry's sappy words of love. But now that they're together, Draco's heart swelled. It surely didn't hurt to hear Harry telling him that he loved him every now and then.

"So, is that a yes?" Harry asked when Draco moved his head so that it rested underneath Harry's chin.

"Shut up, Potter, I'm trying to sleep here."

Harry sighed and wrapped his arm tighter around the blond. He smiled in the dark when Draco nuzzled against his chest. Before long, Harry could hear even breaths coming from the now asleep Draco.

"… Sweet dreams."

* * *

"You are sure you have this correctly?" Draco asked dubiously. He eyed the cup of steaming liquid in front of him.

He and Harry were back in the lab. Harry had woke up this morning and mumbled something about 'new potion, have to make it' before getting off the bed and going to the bathroom. Draco was left blinking owlishly at the bedroom door. The man had just woken up and had _somehow_ thought of a new potion to make. Draco had wondered if Harry dreamt the potion ingredients… He didn't feel too good about drinking this potion.

"Of course I have everything right!" Harry pushed the cup closer to Draco. "Drink it before it cools. This works best when it is piping hot."

"What if I'm poisoned again? You just came up with this after you woke up! I have many reasons to not drink it," Draco sneered, "you probably just threw in whatever ingredient that came to you in your sleep-befuddled mind."

"I did not!" Harry protested. He rolled his eyes and pointed at the cup. "Just drink it, Draco."

Draco's lip curled and then he picked up the cup. The potion was extremely hot; taking just a small sip burned Draco's tongue.

"Fuck! I can't drink this! It's too hot, Harry," Draco stuck out his tongue and tried to look down at it. Harry chuckled and leaned down to kiss the blond on his cheek.

"Try your best, love. You'll feel something a minute after you finish with the potion. The effects will last for around five minutes since this potion is still a trial."

Draco sniffed and blew on the hot potion. After blowing it two more times, Draco finally drank, albeit slowly.

It was hot and tasted like soggy, overcooked cabbage.

Both men waited. After seemingly as if nothing changed, Draco let out a small yelp. He gritted his teeth and leant forward in his floating chair. Harry placed a hand gently onto Draco's lower back. Malfoy gasped again, but this time it was one of surprise.

"What is it?" Harry asked worriedly. His boyfriend was breaking out in sweat.

"I… I can feel…"

"You can feel what? Tell me, Draco," Harry demanded softly. Draco nodded.

"I can feel your fingers. Not too much, but I can feel it's on my lower back."

Harry's eyes widened and pressed down tentatively on the muscle. He felt the muscles there twitching beneath his palm.

"Can you feel that?"

"Only slightly… What does this mean, Harry?" Draco asked. He was happy that this potion worked, even though it was just a trial. However, Draco didn't want to get his hopes up, in case he couldn't feel once the effects were over.

"It means… Good thing I wrote it all down in the notebook. I can make it better, but for now let's wait until the five minutes are up."

It was the longest five minutes in Harry and Draco's lives. During those minutes Draco could feel Harry gently kneading into his back, near his damaged spine. His boyfriend continuously murmured soft words of encouragement. Harry knew how scared and happy Draco was. He knew the blond was happy that he could feel again and scared that it might all go away once the potion leaves the system.

When five minutes passed—Harry knew this because Draco's back muscles stopped twitching—the brunet pulled his hand away. Draco had been quiet but when Harry's hand left his back, the blond let out a small laugh.

"Draco, what's wrong? Don't scare me, love." Harry knelt down in front of the chair and looked at Draco nervously.

Draco smiled happily at the brunet; he cupped Harry's face lovingly and kissed Harry right on his lips.

"Harry… Harry, Harry… My beautiful healer…" Draco breathed. He pulled Harry closer and buried his face into Harry's neck.

"Uh… Draco, are you alright? The potion didn't affect your mind, did it?" Harry placed his hand behind Draco's head and patted the soft blond hair. "Fuck, I really shouldn't come up with things while I'm half awake…"

"No… Harry, I can feel. I felt it when your hand moved away. Touch my back."

Harry followed Draco's order and poked Draco's back, near his hips. Draco giggled and squirmed. Harry pulled back and stared at Draco, a small smile threatening to break free.

"Draco… Are you ticklish there? You felt that didn't you?!" Harry asked excitedly when Draco nodded shyly. "Oh sweet Merlin! You can feel! Well, it's only that portion of your back, but you felt it! Yes!" Harry kissed every inch of Draco's face.

Draco laughed as Harry peppered small kisses all over. Harry was even happier than he was!

"It's all thanks to you, Harry…"

"Nonsense! Oh gosh, I'm so happy! Draco, we should celebrate tonight! Let's go out and have dinner. Since we got together, I haven't taken you out properly." Harry grinned when Draco blushed prettily. "It's a date, Draco. Our first date."

"O-okay," Draco said shyly. God, he was blushing like a freaking virgin!

"Great! Let's go at seven. I know this really nice restaurant…" Harry whispered into Draco's ear; he nipped at the soft flesh of Draco's earlobe and enjoyed feeling Draco shiver against him.

When Harry moved back, he smirked evilly at Draco, who in turn narrowed his eyes at him.

"Now, about you being ticklish…" Harry's smirk grew wider.

Draco let out a mock gasp and pretended to be angry.

"Don't even think about it, Potter!"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: I made Draco shy! :D I think it's cute that he blushes so easily ;P Do you think they are moving to fast as a couple. I thought they aren't... I dunno. :x

Thanks for reading! :D Cookies for you! As a bonus, a plushy Draco doll :)


	10. Chapter 10: The First Date

A/N: Hello again! :D Sorry for the late updates… School's been busy, especially with my finals looming over my head :( -holds an umbrella-

Thank you for the reviews!! :D I'm giving out Harry robots this time :P I ran out of dolls…

I am glad that I'm not moving too fast with Harry and Draco's relationship. I was worried that I was since Draco isn't fully healed yet. But there was progress! :D

**Warnings: Fluff. Sweetness on Harry's part. Shy!Draco **

Lol, let's hope Harry doesn't mess up his date with our favorite blond ;-) … I love Thai food! Please excuse my usage of Thai traditions and whatnot… I tried. :P

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_The First Date_

"Which one should I wear, Harry? The white—" Draco held the white higher, "—or this black silk dress shirt." Draco then held up the black one for Harry to inspect. The brunet laughed and shook his head. Draco puffed out his cheeks and floated to where his boyfriend was sitting.

"I am not going to the restaurant naked," Draco said huffily, "even if you like for me to do so. I want our first date to be perfect."

Harry was smiling stupidly when Draco said he wanted their date to be perfect but then he growled lightly as the rest of the sentence registered in his brain. Harry held out his hand for Draco to take.

"You better not leave this flat naked, Malfoy." Draco took Harry's outstretched hand and smirked.

"Why, Potter, are you jealous that some bloke at the restaurant will feast their eyes on me?" Draco's grin grew wide when Harry blushed, looking embarrassed.

He loved it when Harry became possessive. It wasn't too much, and if it was, Draco would instead feel like he was a caged bird or something. Harry's possessiveness was one of the many ways to show that he loved Draco.

Besides, Draco didn't want to let other men look at his body either. It was for Harry's eyes only.

"You're so cute when you get all angry and start blushing," Draco cooed. "I should get you worked up more often." He laughed when Harry puffed up like a chicken getting its feathers ruffled.

"I suggest you shouldn't," Harry said warningly but then he chuckled, "of course, I can't stay mad at _you_. I think that if anybody else provoked me, I'll have their skin." Harry made a snarling face at Draco. "As for you, I can tickle you to death."

Malfoy stuck out his tongue at Harry.

Draco brought his hand up—along with Harry's—and patted Harry's cheek softly. "You're not like that. You're just a big softy… Well, to me you are." Malfoy smiled winningly at the brunet. "And remember what I said about you tickling me: No kisses for a month." Harry acted shocked at those words. Draco continued on. "Now, pick one. The white, or black?"

Harry tilted his head and pretended to put a lot of thoughts into his decision. It wasn't until Draco scowled and whapped his thigh that Harry made his choice. He so loved seeing his Draco in all black. It was sexy. The dark color contrasted beautifully with Draco's soft, pale skin and blond hair.

"The black one; it would look great on you," Harry said.

Draco watched with amusement as Harry took the white shirt away and flung it onto their bed. Yes, _their_ bed. Even though Draco only slept on it once, which was just last night, Draco claimed Harry's bed as his. The blond had a feeling he would be sleeping more on that bed than the one in the guest room in the future… He might even move right into Harry's room.

With Harry's permission of course.

_:-P _

"—co? Draco?"

"Huhn?"

"Draco, love, you've been staring at my bed for awhile," Harry said slowly. Draco blushed and cleared his throat. Harry carefully placed the black shirt on Malfoy's lap. "Are you alright? If you're tired, I can reschedule our dinner reserv—"

"No!" Draco shot out. He smiled sheepishly when Harry arched an eyebrow at him. "Uh… I'm not tired," the blond said reassuringly. "And I know how hard it was for you to get a reservation for the Thai restaurant we're going to tonight. You called many times."

Draco reached behind Harry's neck and pulled his head down. He placed a long, lip devouring kiss on Harry's lips. When Draco pulled back, they were both panting and Harry's lips were deliciously swollen. Potter licked his just-devoured lips; a predatory glint appeared in his emerald green eyes.

"If you keep that up, I might just keep us both here instead," Harry whispered hotly in Draco's ear. Since Draco was sitting in the floating chair, they were leveled.

Draco laughed and shook his head. "We're going out tonight, Harry. It's our first date, remember?"

"Our first date could be in my house, in my room, on my bed," Harry wheedled. "We can even have dinner in bed… See how romantic that sounds?"

Draco smacked Harry's thigh again. "Potter, you really want me naked, don't you?"

"I never said anything about being naked!" Harry protested. He sighed and scratched the back of his neck absently. Draco could see a faint blush traveling from Harry's neck to his cheeks. "I-I don't want you to feel uncomfortable about being with me, Draco."

Harry smiled warmly at the blond; Draco felt overwhelmed from the love Harry had for him.

"I want us to go at an easy pace. I am not going to force you anything, I swear."

Draco was too stunned to say a word. Merlin, he was an idiot for waiting eight damn years to seek out Harry!

"Draco? Draco, say something… You're turning kind of red." Harry was looking at Draco with worried eyes.

"Fuck… I love you so damn much, Harry," Draco blurted out suddenly.

He groaned inwardly for being such a dork. Draco wanted to fall into a hole when Harry continued to stare at him.

_Did I scare him?! I shouldn't have said anything… it was too…_ Draco's thoughts were cut short when…

"Well, I love you so damn much as well, Draco," Harry said solemnly and initiated a kiss with Draco.

_It wasn't too early after all._

* * *

"This… this is wonderful," Draco said breathlessly, his eyes wide with wonder.

They had arrived at the Thai restaurant, with a name that Draco didn't even bother to try pronouncing. Harry pushed Draco's wheelchair through the door, which automatically opened for them. They were in the Muggle part of the city, so no magical floating chair for Draco.

"Ever been to this restaurant?" Harry asked. Draco shook his head.

"I never really thought of trying Thai before…"

"Well then, you're in for a treat tonight."

Harry stopped before a waitress, who was wearing a traditional Thai dress. The top part of the dress was dark red colored, tight around the torso so that it emphasized the woman's curves. The bottom part was slightly pinkish and the material looked almost net-like. There were also golden silk patterns woven into the red cloth. It was a single-shoulder strap dress and behind the waitress's back was a long lacy looking shawl that matched the color of the dress. Her skin tone was slightly tanned; her eyes were warm and inviting. Draco couldn't help smiling at her when she welcomed them warmly.

"Welcome, gentlemen," she greeted with a slight accent, "did you reserve a table tonight? If not, I'm afraid you both will have to wait."

"I reserved a table under the name Harry Potter for two," Harry informed the young waitress. "I called this morning. I think you personally answered my call; I recognize your voice; you're Melita."

A look of understanding flashed across the waitress's face. She smiled at Harry and took two menus from the podium she was standing behind. Draco's eyes followed Harry as the brunet walked away from him and whispered something to the woman. She nodded with a smile and then Harry walked back to Draco.

"Let's go, love," Harry said cheerfully and pushed Draco along, following the waitress as she led them to their table.

"What did you whisper to her?" Draco asked, curious.

"You'll see."

The waitress led them to a private room and inside was a table set for two. The room itself was decorated with everything related to Thailand and Draco thought everything was beautiful.

"Did you ask her to give us a private room?" Draco asked. Harry chuckled and shook his head in the negative.

"No, that's not what I asked her to do." He turned to the woman and nodded at her.

The waitress walked up to them, walked passed them and stood next to the longest wall in the room. Draco was totally confused to what was happening and Harry didn't seem like explaining to him any time soon. But when the young woman took out a wand from under waistband, Draco was shocked.

"She-she's a witch! I thought we're in Muggle part of London!" Draco exclaimed.

Harry waved for the waitress to do her job. "Let her finish up first and then I'll tell you." Harry turned to face the woman. "Go ahead."

"Mr. Malfoy, your boyfriend had done so much," the waitress spoke softly. "It is very hard to reserve this room. This room is only for wizards and witches to use and most of the time it is booked months beforehand by couples."

"Then… How did Harry… Mr. Potter got hold of it? He just made the reservation today!" Draco asked; he rolled his eyes when Harry snorted next to him.

"Well, this room _was_ initially booked by an old couple. It was their anniversary today…"

"What! Then… How?" Draco was perplexed.

"Mr. Potter here told me that he was taking his boyfriend—" the witch paused and looked at Draco knowingly, "—on their first date and he wanted things to be perfect. Mr. Potter had been here before, but he never brought a date with him.

"Of course I had to tell him that the room was already booked. Mr. Potter kept on saying he wanted to take you here and was sure that you'll love it. So I told him I'll call Mr. Shaloub, the elderly gentleman that reserved this room three weeks ago."

"I was so glad when she called me back, when you were taking a shower," Harry said, taking over the role of explaining to Draco. "Melita here told me Mr. Shaloub gladly gave the room to me. He said the first date is the most important."

"But… then why did she acted like a-a Muggle?" Draco nodded toward the witch.

"It's her job. It's possible that a wizard or witch was dating a Muggle. Unless she was told otherwise, Melita had to pretend she was just an ordinary waitress greeting her customers. This restaurant is divided into two parts, one for Muggles and the other for us magical folks."

"She thought _I_ was a Muggle?"

"Yeah, that's what I whispered to her. I told her it was alright for her to drop her act."

Draco nodded in understanding. "So you didn't know who I was?" he asked the young woman.

"No, it wasn't until Mr. Potter told me that you were Draco Malfoy that I knew who you were. The Malfoy family is quite well known. I know the family by name, not by their faces so I am very sorry for not knowing, Mr. Malfoy," Melita apologized.

Draco shook his head with a small smile. "It's fine. I'm just surprised you're not looking at me like scum under someone's shoe."

"Draco…" Harry sighed. Melita tilted her head and gave Draco a crooked smile.

"Mr. Malfoy, I was already living here when the Second War happened. I had heard that a Malfoy had betrayed the Dark side. Your father was part of the Inner Circle so I knew it wasn't him. Your mother was already gone, no longer living in London. That only left you as the Malfoy. You were the only Malfoy that deflected to the Light; there was good in you." She twirled her wand between her fingers. "However, I am surprised that you remained hidden for so long. Even now. I doubt your father knows you are in England again." Her eyes lowered to Draco's legs. "I know that Mr. Potter had been helping you since your car accident. It was in the Daily Prophet and of course the Muggle news. I wish you'll have a speedy recovery."

"Thank you and yes, Harry's been great to me," Draco said softly. "He was the reason I came back." He looked up at Harry when the brunet squeezed his shoulder.

"You two are great together," Melita complimented. "A perfect match, I say."

"I agree with you. I love Draco more than life itself," Harry murmured; Melita giggled, and Draco blushed brightly. "Anyways, Melita, will you do the honors?"

Melita tapped a spot on the wall and then she moved to the next wall, did the same thing. Once all four walls and including the ceiling, where Melita fired a spell from her wand, were tapped, she tucked her wand back under her two-piece dress.

"Enjoy your evening, gentlemen." She walked toward the door and before she headed out, Melita turned around. "You have five minutes, Mr. Potter." Then, she was gone.

"Five minutes? What about five minutes? And what was all the tapping for? Nothing's different." Draco looked around the whole room. Everything seemed the same…

"Don't worry about that," Harry smiled, "let me get you comfortable."

Draco giggled when Harry did a dramatic bow in front of him before pushing his wheelchair to the table. He planted his elbows onto the table and stared at Harry with eyes that shone with love.

Harry looked at Draco weirdly and sat down; he passed a menu for Draco to see.

"What do you suggest, Harry?" Draco asked while his eyes scanned the menu. "Melita did say you've been here before so you must know some good dishes."

"Do you mind if I ordered for us?"

"No, I don't…" Before Draco could finish his sentence, the whole room shimmered and rippled. "What's going on?!"

"Ah, it seems the five minutes are up," Harry replied calmly.

"What…"

All the things that were once hanging on the walls disappeared. The carpet covered floor shimmered and melted away. But Draco was too busy staring at the walls around him to notice how the floor had turned to look like metal plates. The once dark red walls were now black, like the night sky. Draco squinted and saw things that looked suspiciously like stars.

"Potter, what just happened?!"

Harry calmly lowered his menu and grinned at the scowling blond. "Relax, Draco. This room takes people to one of our most desired places. In this case, it took _yours_, just as I asked for it to do. It didn't concentrate on me, but you." Harry pushed his chair back and stood up; he went to one of the walls and waved his arm in an arch. "Don't you recognize this?"

Draco wheeled himself away from the table and rolled over to where Harry stood. The scenery did seem familiar… but it couldn't be…

"Harry, are we in Paris?!"

"Not exactly _in_ Paris," Harry said. "The room just gave us the scenery of what one would see if they were on the tip-top of the Eiffel Tower."

"Oh my… So that _is_ Champs-Élysées," Draco mused. "I thought I was imagining things."

"So your desired place is France?" Harry asked; he took hold of the handlebars of the wheelchair and moved Draco back to the table.

"I-I was the most peaceful while I lived in France," Draco said quietly. "I didn't have to worry about people trying to kill me. People didn't know who I was." When Harry sat back down again, Draco reached out and took on of Harry's hands. "I thought of moving back… but that was before I saw you again."

Harry chuckled; his thumb was smoothing over Draco's knuckles. "We always meet in the weirdest circumstances."

Draco smiled shyly at his boyfriend. "I find that I don't actually mind all that much, Harry."

* * *

"So what was this called again? I didn't really catch it when you ordered." Draco was eyeing the bowl of soup in front of him. He caught a faint scent of coconut.

"In English, it's 'Coconut soup with chicken'. In Thai, it's called 'Tom gaa kai'," Harry explained; he watched carefully as Draco picked up a spoon and let it hover above the steaming bowl. "It's good, Draco. Don't let the whiteness throw you off."

Draco glared at Harry and dipped his spoon into the soup. He fished out a chunk of chicken along with soup and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Draco shoved the spoon in his mouth. He chewed slowly and then swallowed.

"Hey, it's good!" Draco laughed. "The coconut blended really well with the chicken. The meat is so tender…" Draco anxiously ate another spoonful.

"I'm glad you like it." Harry picked up his utensils and started cutting into his roasted duck. Draco looked up from his bowl; Harry had just cut a piece of duck and was now dipping it in some red sauce.

"Is that curry?"

Harry paused, his fork poised before his lips. "How did you know?"

"Uh… I had Indian take-outs before… and I had curry, but they weren't that red."

"Do you know you're blushing right now?" Harry asked cheekily. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're scared of me."

"No, I'm not!" Draco protested, but truth be damned; his face felt hot.

Harry chuckled and nodded at Draco's bowl of soup. "Eat before it gets cold."

* * *

"Thank you for bringing me there… It was wonderful," Draco murmured.

Harry was carrying him bridal style to the bed. They had been back for almost two hours and Harry had just finished helping Draco take a bath. Now, the blond was all warm and cozy. He snuggled deeper, pressing his face on Harry's solid chest. When Harry chuckled, Draco could feel his chest rumble.

"I told you that I wanted our first date to be memorable," Harry whispered; he dropped a kiss on Draco's forehead.

He walked to the side of the bed and gently settled Draco onto the mattress. Harry straightened Draco's legs; he nodded with approval when he found the limbs weren't as stiff as before. Harry also avoided touching Draco's ticklish spot. He _needed_ Draco's kisses.

"I guess I'm staying here tonight." Draco looked up at his boyfriend with sleep eyes. Harry's own green ones sparkled.

"You're going to stay here, with me, from now on. I don't think you need the other room anymore," Harry said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "That was what you wanted, right? You know you can just move all the things here. I wouldn't mind."

Draco blushed. "Yeah… I-I was thinking about asking you…" He took Harry's hand and cradled it. "Guess I don't need to anymore."

"No, you don't…" Harry brought his lips to Draco's softer ones. 

_As long as I can give it, you can have anything._

Draco smiled into their kiss and pulled Harry down, so that Harry was half lying on him.

_My heart is already yours._

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Here's chapter 10! I'm so sorry that it took so long. I kept on updating my Christmas fic. You should check it out if you haven't! :D

Thanks for reading! :)


	11. Chapter 11: Progression

A/N: -puts on a ton of protection- I got my armor, my metal helmet, my lance and shield… Hell yes. Lol. I'm not afraid of you!! :D

**Thank you for the reviews!! **

I think it's time we have some _progress_ with Draco's back injury. Of course, he's not going to be up and running in two days ;x That type of injury takes time to heal, even with Harry's miracle potions and love. ;P

**Warnings: Nonsense medical procedures because I'm not a doctor. **

My medical procedures… Don't trust anything. I've watched enough shows to know what to put… somewhat. Haha.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**_Progression_**

Harry smiled as Draco's eyebrows knitted together in his sleep; the man was probably dreaming. Harry gently brushed the blond fringe to the side, leaned down and kissed the arch of Draco's left eyebrow. He liked watching his lover sleep. It was the only time where Draco seemed at peace.

Malfoy mumbled and turned his head slightly in Harry's direction, seeking more touches. He was half awake and knew it was Harry that was kissing him, but he didn't want to wake up. Not just yet.

When Harry chuckled softly, Draco groaned. The corners of his eyes crinkled ever so slightly.

"Wake up, Draco," Harry whispered and kissed him. "We have lots to do today."

"'o away… Don't want to," Draco mumbled.

Harry had already been awake for at least fifteen minutes. He had watched his lover sleep; Draco would probably need the extra rest. Harry had planned to make another type of potion, one that would need to be injected, instead of being _ingested._ It was going to be painful, Harry knew. He had thought about it, thoroughly researched, and found that it was probably the best way to put the potion right at the source of problem.

After Draco was injected with the potion, he would have to stay put for a day or so. Having a needle inserted right into the spine wasn't a walk in the park.

Draco was now looking at Harry with hazy eyes. His lover looked too awake… and it looked like Harry was planning something. Draco could tell by the way Harry had his brows scrunched together. The blond smiled lightly and reached up, cupping the brunet's clean-shaven jaw.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier? I could tell you've been watching me for quite some time," the blond murmured. "And you want to tell me something."

Harry's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "How-Why… Never mind, you know me too well." Harry rolled his eyes, smiling down at Draco. "But yes, I want to ask for your permission for something."

"Permission? For what?" Draco now had his hand behind Harry's neck. The latter got the message and bent down, letting Draco kiss him. When Harry resurfaced, he traced Draco's lips with his fingertip.

"I… I've been thinking about a new way to put those nerves regenerating potions into you. Last time, you felt me touching your lower back… I continued to work from that point."

"But I hardly see you go through books," Draco exclaimed. "Heck, I hardly see you write in your notebook."

Harry chuckled. "It's all in here." Harry tapped his temple. "Being a healer for so long… I just got used to storing information in my head instead of writing everything down.

"But anyways, I want to ask… tell you what I have in mind. The procedure will be much more direct, as well as painful."

"Pain…" Draco's eyes widened; he was completely awake now. "What… Not that I'm scared that you'll hurt me," Draco said quickly to Harry when the brunet frowned, "but… What other ways are there?"

Harry winced. Draco's going to freak out once he told his boyfriend what he had in mind. Draco might not be afraid of needles – he was sure of that because Draco did not complain about them during his stay at St. Mungo's – but the one he was going to use for the spine would be _thick_.

"I'm sure you've never heard of a procedure called the 'lumbar puncture'," Harry stated. Draco shook his head at him. "Well, it's a Muggle diagnostic process. Doctors do a lumbar puncture when they want to take a biopsy. A cerebrospinal fluid sample, if you will. But instead of using it to take samples, I'm going to put the potion right into…"

"Skip the medical terms, Harry," Draco said, cutting Harry off. "Just tell me what you want to do."

"You are not going to like it, but it's going to be better than taking potions. Let me help you sit up first…" He snaked his arm under Draco's back, and helped the blond sit, propped up against pillows. When Harry got Draco comfortable, he got off the bed. "Let me get… I'll be right back."

When Harry came back, Draco saw that his dark-haired boyfriend was holding a small package. One of those sterilized bags. Draco stared closely at the bag; Harry sat down on the edge of their bed and sort of fidgeted. Malfoy then let out a small laugh when he saw a syringe, with a long needle at the end. It looked harmless enough.

"Is that your great idea? A needle?" Draco asked skeptically. "You don't need my permission to inject the potion into my –"

"Not your veins, Draco," Harry interrupted. "Not… veins, but your spine." Harry closed his eyes and waited for the explosion. It never came.

Harry waited a few more seconds before opening his eyes again. Draco was still looking as calm as ever; his eyes weren't wide with fear or anger. Harry thought he was seeing things when Draco's lips formed a soft smile.

"Harry, is that all?"

"What do you mean, 'is that all'?!" Harry asked, shocked. "Draco… Are you even awake?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes and smacked Harry on his thigh. "Of course I am, you prat! I thought it was going to be something more painful, since you said it was going to be."

"What can be more painful than having a needle stuck in your spine? I'm talking about sticking it into the bone, Draco."

"I know… But if it's going to help me… Then I can withstand the pain that comes along with it," Draco said softly. He reached out and stroked Harry's cheek. "I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose."

"No…" Harry murmured. "I'll never hurt you."

"Just as long you are not cutting me open, for whatever reason, I'm fine with it," Draco declared. Harry snickered at the 'cutting me open' part, but stopped when Draco sent him a glare. "Anyways," Draco continued, "from now on, you can use whatever treatment you think is best."

Harry grinned and kissed Draco. He waved his hand over the sealed syringe; it disappeared in a flash. "I'll be using it later, after you eat."

"You _are_ going to numb me, right?" Draco asked. Sure, he wasn't scared of some old needle, but inserting it into bones? Fuck, it would hurt.

"Yes, I'll inject an anesthetic, right where I'll be inserting the potion. Of course, I'll also cast a spell for good measure. You'll feel uncomfortable when I have the needle in. You might… feel your bone give way to the needle. I'm not really going to poke the needle right _into_ bones; it'll be right between the lumbar sections L3 and L4. That was where your spine was misaligned and most damaged."

"Oh Merlin…" Draco sure wanted to back out now, after hearing that.

"I know it sounds awful, love, but… if you don't want to do it, tell me now."

Draco licked his lips, set his jaw, and looked at Harry.

"No, I'll do it."

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked while putting on a pair of latex gloves.

Harry had everything set in their proper place. Cottons, gauze, a pair of forceps, antiseptic, the syringe filled with anesthetic, the sterilized needle for the lumbar puncture, another syringe filled with the regenerating potion, and a small vial of pain potion were all spread out in front of him. Draco was sitting by the edge of the bed, his upper torso was bare. His hands were gripping the edge of the mattress tightly; his legs could not support him so hands were needed for balance. From where he could see, Harry could tell that Draco was scared and nervous; his back muscles were tensed.

"I… I'm fine." Draco took in a deep breath. "Just tell me when you're inserting the needle."

"I'll work fast. Once I have the needle in, your cerebrospinal fluids will start dripping out." Harry picked up a cotton ball with the forceps and swirled it in the pan of antiseptic. "When that happens, I will have to say a spell to temporary stop the flow; the fluids will push the potion back out and I can't have that happening." The cotton ball was now soaked with the antiseptic.

"O… kay," Draco murmured as Harry cleaned the area on his back with the cotton puff.

"I'll start now." Harry dropped the cotton into a clean pan, along with the forceps. He took the anesthetic, flicked the syringe a couple of times to get rid of any air bubbles. "I'm going to give you the anesthetic now, alright?"

"Y-yeah," Draco stuttered.

"Relax, love…" Harry whispered soothingly as he brought the needle closer to Draco's spine. "Curve your back, Draco."

The blond did so, and Harry palpated the area until he found the spot, between L3 and L4. He carefully inserted the tip of the needle; Draco hissed as his skin was punctured. Since it wasn't his lower body, Draco felt the prick. The last time he took Harry's potion, it gave some feeling back.

"Okay?"

"Yes, Harry…" Draco licked his lips. He breathed through his nose.

When the anesthetic was done, Harry picked up the needle for the lumbar puncture. "It's time, Draco. You might feel a slight crack, but no pain."

"Mhmm…" Draco was starting to feel the numbing sensation. "Just get on with it."

Harry let out a long breath, braced himself by putting one gloved hand on Draco's back. With his right hand, he held the needle steady. One wrong move… Harry shook his head. Nothing shall go wrong. Harry pressed the tip right between the lumbar sections, and _pushed._

Draco opened his mouth and let out a surprised gasp. He felt the needle go in, he felt the small crunch, and felt the pressure. He whimpered. It didn't hurt but it felt uncomfortable. Draco heard Harry whispering a spell to stop the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid.

"I'm going to apply the potion now," Harry stated, "it'll only take a minute and we're done."

"When will I start feeling the effects?" Draco asked; Harry looked up from what he was doing.

"Maybe tomorrow, maybe tonight, I'm not sure," Harry answered truthfully. "Now hold still."

Harry screwed the syringe on and injected the blue potion into Draco's spine. The blond whimpered as the cold liquid seeped into his bones, his nerves. There was a tingling sensation and nothing more. Harry was skilled and steady. When he said there wasn't going to be pain, he was telling the truth.

"There…" Harry pulled the needle out slowly and dropped it into the pan. With quick succession, Harry took another cotton ball and pressed it against the punctured wound. It was only bleeding a little. "I'll put on a gauze band-aid and you're going to have to lie on your side. Do not put pressure on your back for at least three hours." Harry removed the cotton ball and gently placed on the gauzy band-aid.

"Yes, Healer," Draco whispered. He was calm now; the procedure was over with. "Thanks, Harry."

"Draco, you don't have to thank me," Harry replied. He pushed all his equipments to the side and knelt on the mattress. "Let me help you lie down…"

When Draco was nicely settled and dressed – Harry spelled on a jumper for him – the brunet gathered his things, banished the dirtied syringes, and pulled the blanket over Draco.

"Rest for a bit, you'll feel sore later, I'm sure." Harry placed the vial of pain reliever on the bedside table, where Draco could easily reach for it. "Take it when the pain comes, or when you feel really sore. If you can, I suggest you not to take it. It might counteract the effects of the regenerating potion."

"Alright…"

* * *

It was four in the afternoon when Draco felt the first twinge of pain. It was a dull throbbed and it bothered him. He called out to Harry who rushed into the bedroom with a look of panic.

"What is it? Something wrong?" Harry asked; he sat down next to his boyfriend and pulled the blanket down.

"I-I don't know…" He shivered when Harry rolled up his jumper. "I didn't take the pain reliever… it didn't really bother me until now."

"Okay, let me check your back…"

Harry carefully rolled Draco onto his stomach. There was a small bruise right where he had inserted the needle earlier. That was to be expected. He pressed his fingers down near Draco's lower back. The blond giggled.

"Harry, your fingers are cold…" Draco's voice was muffled by his pillow. Grey eyes widened. "I felt that! Harry, I felt it!"

Harry was laughing with pure joy. "Yes, yes… Here…" Harry traced his fingers down to Draco's back thigh.

"Feathery touches… That felt… Oh sweet Merlin…" Draco was getting excited now. "Press your finger down, Harry." The green-eyed man did, and Draco felt the pressure.

Harry was getting jittery. They were getting somewhere! It might not be long before his love could walk again.

"This is great, Draco…" Harry whispered. "I was worried that this procedure might not work… but now it seems… You can feel. You can feel…" Harry repeated. He swallowed the lump in his throat. Harry didn't know if he should bring his hopes up but… "Draco, try moving your right leg."

"Roll me over first; I can't breathe," Draco muttered. Harry chuckled and helped his boyfriend. When Draco was looking up at Harry, the blond could see that Harry's eyes were watery. "Harry… Are those happy tears?"

"Yes," Harry said firmly. He wasn't even going to lie to his Draco. "I'm just glad… So happy…"

Draco brought his hand up and brushed his thumb right under Harry's eye. "I love you…"

"I love you, too," Harry whispered back. "Now, move your leg, Draco."

Draco tried. He closed his eyes and concentrated on moving his limb. When nothing moved, not even his small toe, Draco was close to crying. Just when he was about to give up, his big toe twitched. Draco's eyes snapped open and he glanced down the length of his body. He scrunched up his eyebrows. This time all five toes curled and straightened. Draco tried his left foot; the toes did the same thing.

Harry saw this and smiled brightly. "That's good… I think… I think we're getting somewhere. From now on, I might have to start giving you physical therapy, just so that we can keep your muscles from deteriorating."

Draco was teary now. After almost two months of just feeling brief feelings in his lower back, he could now actually move his toes!

"I'm going to have to do the procedure a couple more times," Harry told Draco. "The amount I used was small. If I want the whole spinal cord to heal, it would take at least four more times. It's a gradual process and we cannot rush things, do you understand, Draco?"

"Yes, I do," Draco smiled, "as long as it's working I don't care how many times we have to do it."

"Hmm…" Harry hummed. Suddenly there was a gleam in the depths of the emerald orbs. Draco could see Harry's eyes darkening with lust.

"Harry…?" Draco breathed; Harry smiled and pushed Draco's rolled up jumper higher, revealing Draco's pectoral muscles and collarbone.

"Let me help you take it off…" Harry muttered a spell; the jumper vanished. Draco squeaked but was silenced when Harry's mouth was on his.

Draco glared half-heartedly at the brunet on top of him. But he melted into a pile of goo when Harry's hand was placed on his chest, gently rubbing small circles. With his other hand, Harry moved one of Draco's leg, letting him settle between Draco's legs.

"Harry…" Draco mumbled. Harry lay down next to him, his head on Draco's chest.

"This is nice…" Harry whispered. His thumb and forefinger were pinching the hardening nub. Draco nodded and closed his eyes. Gods, it felt good.

"I wanted to do this for so long… but I was always afraid that I might hurt you," Harry said softly; his fingers moved away from Draco's nipple and his hand was now massaging Draco's side. "I was also scared that you wouldn't want me to…"

"I want this, too," Draco said, sounding sure. "I do, Harry. I didn't think I could though… Not with me half paralyzed."

"Let me do the work then," Harry said huskily. He rolled and was now looking down at his blond lover. "Let me…"

Harry slinked down Draco's body with the gracefulness of a snake. Draco's mouth became dry as he watched Harry kiss down his chest, his abdomen, his hips… He almost screamed when Harry pulled down his sweats, revealing his boxers.

"I know you're sensitive here…" Harry's warm breath ghosted over Malfoy's hipbone. He dipped his index finger under the waistband of Draco's boxers. "Such smooth skin…"

"Uh huh…" Draco gulped when Harry smirked up at him. Such a lusty smirk; he never saw that on Harry's face before.

"Beautiful and don't you dare say otherwise," Harry murmured. He yanked the boxers down. Pale, smooth skin revealed itself. Harry's mouth watered at the sight of the crisp blond curls that led to so much more.

Draco eyes rolled to the back when Harry touched him. He didn't know if he could still get hard after the accident, but it seemed like he could. He heard Harry whimpering, eyeing his crotch. Draco buried his fingers into Harry's nest of black hair, guiding Harry's head down to his throbbing erection.

"Harry… Please," Draco croaked.

"Yes…" Harry wrapped his hand around the hardened flesh. It was warm and pulsating in his hand. He took a deep breath. The smell of Draco was delicious.

"Harry!" Draco whined when all his boyfriend did was tug slowly up and down his shaft.

Potter chuckled deeply. "Draco, I love you."

"Huh –"

Harry opened his mouth and took Draco in, his lips stretched around the thick cock.

Draco panted as Harry put all his attention to his cock. The brunet hummed around his heated flesh; Draco pulled at Harry's dark tresses. His body was trembling with pleasure as Harry's tongue swirled around the head of his cock.

Draco was sure they would spend the rest of the day in bed.

Oh, how right he was.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: -whistles- Lemon? No, of course not! –ducks as objects fly through the air-

**Man, do you want to kill the author?! No throwing knives! D:**


	12. Chapter 12: Awakening the Magic

A/N: It's been awhile. Yes, call me lazy :D

**Thank you for the reviews!! Plushy hearts for everyone! **

Nothing much to say except that Draco is getting better, albeit slowly.

**Warnings: Nothing much. **

* * *

**Chapter 12**

_Awakening the Magic_

Draco sighed. It was snowing outside. He looked down at his lap where Storm was sleeping. The little puppy had been lured to sleep by Draco's stroking fingers.

"It's just you and me, little guy," Draco whispered; he made his floating chair move away from the window. "Harry just had to pick today to go buy some 'stuff'."

Storm trembled lightly on his lap, but otherwise continued sleeping.

Draco chuckled softly as his chair made its way to his and Harry's bedroom. Once he was inside, Draco commanded the chair to take him to the side of the bed. He gently placed Storm on the mattress and let the pup sleep more comfortably. Draco knew his legs were on the bony side since he hadn't used them for months. The muscle mass had decreased and Harry had told him that they might start on some physical therapy before the last two treatments of the lumbar injection.

Draco frowned as he massaged his tight muscles. His treatments were working but that didn't mean he could start walking again right away. Harry was a great Healer, not a miracle giver.

"… Draco?"

The man in question perked up at the sound of his boyfriend's voice. He grinned and moved to the doorway of the bedroom.

"Harry? I'm in the room!" Draco hollered. He heard Harry chuckle and a few seconds later Harry was in front of him, with two bags in his hands. "What did you buy?" Draco tried to peer into the bags but Harry laughed and took a step back.

"It's Christmas decorations," Harry answered, juggling the bags. "Come to the living room; I got you something."

"Me?" Draco asked excitedly. "Is it my Christmas present?"

"I think it's better than that," Harry said, chuckling at his boyfriend's reaction. He gestured for Draco to follow him. With a shrug, Draco made his chair float behind Harry.

"Did you really need four hours to buy Christmas decorations?" Draco asked as he and Harry settled near the couches.

"Well… No," Harry said slowly. "I only spent forty-five minutes on decorations and the rest of the time went to…" Harry plunged his hand into one of the bags and produced a skinny, long box. "I had to wait while he made the finishing touches on this."

Draco's breath hitched; he reached out and took it when Harry offered the box to him.

"You-you got me…" Draco murmured as he carefully lifted the lid.

"Yes, I thought it was time for you to have one again," Harry said, watching Draco stroking the thin piece of wood inside the box.

Nestled in a sea of dark red satin was a wand. Hawthorn, unicorn hair, and ten inches. It was the exact one of Draco's old wand, the one that snapped into pieces during the accident. Draco took it out of the box and held it in his right hand; sparks flew from the tip and a burst of magical aura surrounded both Draco and Harry.

"How did you know my old wand was Hawthorn?" Draco looked at Harry; the aura was just settling down again. The dark-haired man blushed and scratched the back of his neck. "I never told you…"

"Erm… I kind of… _remembered_ from our school days," Harry answered sheepishly; he smiled at the blond. "I was worried that it wouldn't work since it's not your first wand. You know… all that 'wand chooses the wizard' thing. Technically speaking, I chose it, not you."

Draco looked down at his new wand and shook his head. "This one's perfect. It calms me… calms my magic.

"For the past months I always felt small urges… Urges that made me want to use my magic on _something. _It didn't matter who or what I use it on… it just wants to come out." Draco sighed and pointed his wand at a desk lamp on Harry's right. With a swish and a flick, Draco intoned, "_Wingardium Leviosa."_

The lamp shook for a moment, and then it wobbled on the table, then finally, it floated and hovered about until Draco ended the spell. Harry beamed at his lover but frowned when Draco's face turned pale. He rushed over to the sitting man and plucked the wand from Draco's hand.

"Take it easy, love," Harry murmured. "You haven't used magic for so long and your body had been weakened by the accident. One thing at a time, alright?"

"I was worried the lamp was going to fall over. For a moment I thought the spell wouldn't work." Draco dropped his head on Harry's broad shoulder. "Harry, don't put the wand away; I promise I won't use it too much. I need to have it with me again. I felt so… vulnerable without one."

"Now you have one," Harry smiled, "you don't have to worry anymore. Tomorrow, Draco, we'll start training."

"My magic?" Draco asked, confused. "You just said—"

"Nope, not your magic." Harry shook his head. "I meant your physical therapy."

Draco looked into dancing green eyes and gulped.

* * *

"Do we really need to go back to St. Mungo's for this?" Draco asked. His head was turned to the side, watching buildings and people pass by as Harry drove down the streets of London.

"We do." Harry made a right turn, cursed when a pedestrian made to cross the street. The woman stepped back when Harry honked. "Damn… I hate mornings," Harry muttered under his breath.

"And why do we need to go there? You still haven't answered my question yet," Draco said; he sighed and closed his eyes when the car came to a slow crawl. Traffic in the morning hours was horrible.

"Draco, have you seen any therapy equipments in my house?" Harry asked, chuckling. "I have total access to the tools at St. Mungo's because I'm the one in charge of the equipments; I was the one that asked for St. Mungo's to have a room for physical therapy." Harry drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Cars stopped moving altogether. "Ah, this might be a problem."

Malfoy rolled his eyes at Harry's comment. "You think? We should've left later when the traffic jams are over, not leaving at eight when the traffic is most dense." Draco picked up the thermos from the cup holder and took a sip of hot coffee. "Thank god you made coffee or else I would be cranky the whole time we're at St. Mungo's."

"I lived with you for two months, almost three. I should know your habits by heart now," Harry said; he chuckled when Draco pinched his arm. "You like drinking your coffee hot, two cubes of sugar, and no milk," Harry recited. "You never go with a heavy breakfast; buttered toasts would be fine for you. Maybe an orange if you felt like it."

"Too true," Draco agreed. "I was never fond of eating too much in the mornings. I always had the thought that I just woke up and my stomach wouldn't be too keen in holding too much food."

"Uh huh…" Harry stopped drumming his fingers and let out a small, relieved laugh when the cars in front started moving at a snail's pace. "Finally!"

Draco scoffed and set his thermos back into the cup holder. "Wake me up when we're there. I'm sleepy; you woke me up at seven, destroyed my beauty sleep."

Harry snorted and patted Draco's thigh. "Alright, princess. I'll wake you up later."

The blond scoffed. "Princess? I have a cock, you know."

"Mmm… You don't need to tell me; I know."

"Damn right." Draco smiled and closed his eyes.

HPDMHPDMHPDM

Draco woke up to soft jostling. His eyes cracked open and the first thing he saw was a mop of unruly hair.

"… Harry?"

Harry stopped fumbling with the car seat and turned to peer at Draco. He smiled warmly and gave Draco small peck on his nose.

"Sorry, love; I was going to let you sleep some more. I thought I'd just take you out of the car without waking you up… but I guess that didn't work." Harry went back to moving the seat.

"Oh… It's okay… I—" Draco yawned, "—I'm good."

"Well, okay." Harry backed out from the car and used his hips to open the car door wider. "Let me just…" Harry ducked out and pulled the wheelchair closer. "Mind your head."

Draco nodded and wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders without being asked. Harry grunted and lifted the blond off the seat, minding Draco's head, and placed him into the waiting wheelchair.

"Do you want your coffee? I think there's still some left," Harry said.

"Oh, yes… I think I'll need it." Draco murmured his thanks when Harry handed him the thermos.

"Alright, let's go. To the fifth floor."

Draco grumbled and made his chair follow Harry. It was going to be a tiring day.

* * *

"Wow…" Draco's eyes widened at all the equipments in the room. "Am I going to have to go through all of that?" He then eyed fearfully at the monstrosity in the middle of the room. "What is _that_ thing?!"

"Oh, that's not for you," Harry said. "It's for people that need to work on their upper body strength." Harry walked over to a smaller metal contraption and gestured for Draco to come over. He smiled at the blond and patted the machine. "You're going to use this one. I'll help you sit in the seat and hook your feet under this thing…" Harry used his foot and tapped a dumbbell looking thing. "Then you are going to try to lift it up with your feet. Got it?"

"Er… Yeah. Sounds easy enough," Draco replied; he looked up at Harry and held out his arms. "Help me?"

After explaining how the equipment would help Draco, Harry stood in front and watched as Draco tried to lift the bar up. The blond was straining with effort; his face red and was starting to sweat. Harry could see the way Draco's legs were shaking as he used all his might to lift the bar. Harry encouraged his boyfriend, telling him that he was doing well. Draco glared at Harry and took a deep breath; scrunched up his face and _lift_.

Harry grinned when the bar moved up an inch. "Draco! Try harder! You're doing just fine."

"My legs really hurt… my thighs… they burn," Draco panted. With a pained groan, he dropped his feet, the bar falling with a _thunk._

"It's okay; you just started and I didn't expect you to lift it high," Harry said. "It was a good start, Draco."

Draco rubbed his sore muscles and shook his head. "I don't think I've sweat so much in my life!"

Harry smiled sympathetically at him. "I know it's hard work, Draco… but if you want to heal, then you have to do this."

Draco huffed and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He then used both of his hands to massage his calves, loosening up the muscles before trying again.

"I'll do it," Draco muttered. "I sure as hell am not giving up. Not when we've come this far."

Harry smiled, satisfied.

Draco would walk again. Harry was sure of it.

HPDMHPDMHPDM

"Hold on to the side bars, love," Harry coached. "Grip it firmly and try to take a step. Don't make the steps too far apart; small steps only." He had one hand wrapped around Draco's right bicep; the other was on the small of his back.

Draco looked down at his feet, staring. He was standing on his own two feet! He could actually feel the padding beneath his feet, feel his muscles quivering, trying to hold his body upright. Draco was sweating, but he didn't care. He followed Harry's instruction and took a small step forward. His feet moved by four inches.

"Keep on going, Draco. You're doing great," Harry said softly; his hand on Draco's back was rubbing soothing circles.

"I'm doing it, aren't I?" the blond asked excitedly. "I… I'm walking." Draco beamed at Harry and then looked back down at his feet. "I haven't felt the ground for… for so long…"

"Try again," Harry encouraged. Draco nodded and did another step.

Harry could actually feel the excitement emitting in waves from the blond. He held on to Draco's arm, complimenting when Draco walked a couple of steps without pausing. Soon, Harry slowly removed his hand from Draco's back; the blond did not notice. When the brunet felt that his boyfriend was ready, he let go altogether and just stood there, watching.

Draco didn't notice any of those things and he walked… and walked…

"Good job, Draco." Draco was smiling at his accomplishment; he was at the end. When he heard Harry's voice _behind_ him, Draco turned around, shocked.

Harry grinned cheekily, held up his hands and waved at Draco with both hands. "You did it all by yourself, love. You walked to the end, without stopping, by yourself."

Draco gaped at the dark-haired man. A smile slowly crept across his face and Draco began laughing. Harry was happy that his love was smiling and laughing.

"I-I did it! I walked!" Draco cried. He was so happy that he let go of the two sidebars. Draco gasped when he wobbled and almost fell over. He grasped the metal bar with his hands, preventing his fall.

Harry walked up to Draco briskly; Draco's floating wheelchair followed along.

"Don't get too excited, Draco. You walked, but you still need lots of work." Harry helped Draco into the chair. "After the two lumbar injections and some more therapy… I think it's safe to say you can walk, even if it's still unsteady."

Draco took Harry's warm hands and held it in his. He looked up at Harry lovingly.

"It's all thanks to you," Draco said. "You… Harry, you made it possible. Two months ago I really thought I would be crippled for life…" Draco brought Harry's hand to his lips and he kissed his knuckles. "Thank you."

Harry knelt down beside his boyfriend; his thumb was smoothing the back of Draco's hand.

"No need to thank me. I love you, and I want you to be well. I should be the one thanking you. You trusted me to treat you. Heaven knows something could go wrong with all the potions I gave you."

"It all worked out in the end, didn't it?" Draco asked. "Your treatment helped; I can walk again." Draco's eyes followed as Harry stood up. "Take us home, Harry. I'm tired… I think I did enough for today."

Harry studied Draco's face and indeed the man seemed a bit pale. Harry nodded and together, they left the room.

Things would be just fine.

* * *

Two days later, Draco was once again by the window. Only this time his hands were busy playing with the thin piece of wood held between his fingers. He watched as grey clouds drifted by; it was going to snow soon. The temperature had dropped quite significantly during the past two days; it was so cold that Harry had even made Storm wear a doggy shirt.

There was an emergency at St. Mungo's today and thus, Harry was at the hospital right at the moment, and not home with Draco. It was a flu epidemic. People, witches and wizards, came by the dozen, all showing signs of a really bad flu or cold, so said the Master Healer of St. Mungo's. Harry was called in this morning; the hospital needed some extra help for treating and making potions.

But Harry didn't leave before putting warm clothes on Draco. He had to practically shove Harry out the door to make the man leave for St. Mungo's.

It was now well into the late afternoon. Harry had promised yesterday that he would help Draco on his magic casting, but seeing how his boyfriend was away, it seemed unlikely. Sighing, Draco moved away from the window. Just as he was coming out from the bedroom, Draco heard Storm's clicking nails on hardwood floor. Chuckling to himself, Draco wondered what got the puppy so excited.

Draco beamed happily when he heard Storm's joyous barks. The Labrador puppy did that only when his master was home.

"Storm! Hey, boy… Did ya miss me?"

Draco made his way to the front hall and found Harry kneeling down, holding Storm and scratching the pup's ears. Draco chuckled softly when Harry planted a big, fat kiss on top of Storm's furry head. Harry looked up from his puppy, his eyes filled with love, when he saw Draco there.

Draco smirked as Harry stood up. "If I didn't know better, I would say you love that dog more than me." Draco mock-pouted and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Aw, don't be like that, Draco," Harry chuckled, "you know there is nothing, not even my baby, could ever take your place." Harry gave Storm one last kiss before setting the dog down. The pup barked one last time before scampering in the direction of the living room. "I think Storm understands."

Draco scoffed; he tilted his head up when Harry came over and gave him a kiss. "You're lucky Storm is a very clean puppy; I wouldn't let you kiss me otherwise."

Harry laughed heartily and Draco followed his boyfriend as the dark-haired man walked to their bedroom.

"How were things at St. Mungo's? You didn't catch anything while you're there, did you?" Draco scrunched up his nose. "You are not coming anywhere near me if you did."

Harry kicked off his dress shoes and nudged them to the side of a bureau. "No, we healers did all the precautions. You really don't have to worry about me catching the flu." Next to go was Harry's healer robe. Draco rolled his eyes when the robe landed in a puddle on the floor. "There were so many elderly people in there today… I hope they'll feel better after taking the potions they were ordered to take." Harry turned around and frowned at Draco. "I had to strengthen the potions that were normally used for the common cold. It seemed this flu was resistant to the normal dosage. I brought a vial…" Harry patted his trousers near the pockets. "… Where did I…?"

"The robe?" Draco nodded his head at the floor.

Harry turned around again and bent down, giving Draco a nice view of his arse. Draco gulped; Harry did have a nice bum…

"Aha!" Harry took out a tiny vial and held it between his thumb and forefinger. "Here it is! I took one home for you take, just in case. I don't want you to be sick, Draco."

"That small little thing? It's barely a teaspoon, probably less," Draco mused.

"I did say I had to strengthen it," Harry said. "People would only need a small dosage for this; too much might lead to… Well, it would give the drinker hallucinations."

"Hallucinations? It's that strong?"

Harry nodded. "This flu potion is lace with a small amount of Sleeping Draught. The drinker would fall asleep at approximately fifteen minutes after taking it."

Draco whistled; Harry smiled and set the small vial on the bureau. "You can take it before we go to bed tonight."

When Draco gave him a nod, Harry turned to their closet and rummaged through their clothes. He picked out a comfortable jumper and a pair of sweats.

"So, what did you do today?" Harry asked conversationally as he dressed in front of Draco's hawk-like eyes.

"Nothing much," Draco answered. "Waiting for you to come home… Playing with my wand…" Draco smiled when Harry wiggled his backside.

Harry let out a small gasp. He hopped around as he tried to get his foot to go through the legging of his sweats. When he went to look at Draco, he finally saw the man holding the thin piece of wood in his right hand.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, love…" Harry bit his lip, remembering that he had promised Draco that he would help him with his spell casting.

"It's alright," Draco said. He moved to where his boyfriend was standing, hunched over, an apologetic look on his face. "I had a bit of fun while you were gone. I levitated a stack of plates out from the cupboard and put them back inside. I'm proud to say I didn't break a single one of your ceramic plates."

Harry laughed and held out his hands. Draco looked at them and knew what Harry wanted. He hesitantly placed his own in Harry's.

"I know you can walk small distances now," Harry murmured. "Hold on to my hands and let's walk to the living room. I know you can do it." With that said, Harry pulled Draco up and out of the wheelchair.

Draco's knees wobbled and shook as he stood on his own two feet. Harry had given him the third injection last night and with it, gave him more control of his legs and feet. Not to mention Draco could feel more as well.

"I'm not going to let go," Harry whispered and guided Draco out the bedroom. "You've been sitting all day. You need to get the blood circulation going."

Draco nodded; he licked his lips and looked down at his feet, watching them move. "When do you think I can fully walk by myself, Harry?"

"Well…" Harry tugged Draco's hand, taking them to the left side of the hall. "I can't say for certain, but I hope maybe within another two months…"

"Oh…" Draco was slightly disappointed. He was hoping he could walk to start off a new year.

"… But if we work hard, it could be sooner than that," Harry continued; he squeezed Draco's hand encouragingly. "Now, I promised that I would help you and I'm not one that breaks promises."

Draco smiled and listened as Harry babbled on telling him not to overwork himself while practicing using his wand and unleashing greater amounts of magic.

He was one lucky guy to have someone like Harry.

A person that took care of him.

A person that was there whenever Draco needed him. And finally...

Harry was someone that he could truly love.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: The long awaited chapter! I'm very disappointed with myself… :( Please forgive me! Dx

Thanks for reading and being so patient with me :D You guys will get a bag of freshly baked cookies! In the shape of Harry! ;P


	13. Chapter 13: Minor Setbacks

A/N: Wow, I'm still kinda sore from my camping trip. We went on a hike… and let's just say it killed my legs :D be thankful that I'm still here and didn't roll off the trail :(

**Thank you for the reviews!! Freshly made brownies for everybody! **

School prevented me from updating. I didn't plan on being idle for so long :T

**Warnings: Nothing. Fluffiness. **

I am lagging on a lemon scene for this story. I need inspiration lol!

* * *

**Chapter 13**

_Minor Setbacks_

"Argh! I can't do this, Harry! It-it's just impossible!"

"Now, Draco, I told you we're doing this to make sure your thigh muscles wouldn't cramp up. Remember last time? When we went for a walk at the park?"

Draco growled under his breath and stretched, trying to touch his toes with his fingertips.

"Yes," Draco hissed; his thighs burned. "I couldn't walk and we had to sit on a wooden bench for almost half an hour."

"I gave you the last dose of the lumbar injection last Friday. This week, we should see some progress. I am quite sure you can walk better now, although you would still need some help. This was better than I expected; it didn't take two months." Harry wiped Draco's forehead with a cool, wet towel. "I know this is painful, Draco, but you must do this."

"I hate you," Draco said heatedly. "I hate you and your stupid Healer ways."

"You didn't say that last night," Harry replied cheekily. "You were screaming _I love you _when you had your release." He laughed when Draco blushed and looked away.

"Fine… I don't _hate _you. I dislike you for making me do these stretching exercises. I'm not known for being flexible!" Draco whined childishly. He took in a deep breath and reached forward again.

Harry chuckled and dropped the towel next to him. He and Draco were sitting on the ground in the living room, doing small stretching exercises. Well, Draco was doing while Harry was just guiding the blond along.

"I promised that tonight you would be pampered," Harry said cheerily. "I'll give you a nice, hot bath and then I'll make us dinner. How does roasted duck sound?"

Draco narrowed his eyes and huffed as he bent forward. Harry was being a Slytherin, all that bribing and persuading. His green-eyed lover also knew he _adored_ roasted duck.

"You are evil, Potter."

HPDMHPDMHPDM

"It wasn't that bad now, was it?" Harry helped Draco onto the couch, straightening his legs so that they were propped on the coffee table.

"Yeah, of course you would say that since _you_ weren't the one doing all those stretches," Draco complained. He hissed in discomfort as Harry placed his legs onto the table. "I think I'm going to be sore the whole week…"

"I can start a hot bath for you, Draco," Harry offered. "It would relax your muscles."

Draco shook his head and smiled tiredly at Harry. "No, it's alright. I can do it myself."

"But –"

"I'll be fine; don't worry," Draco said soothingly. "If I need your help, I'll call for you. You have to let me do this on my own, Harry."

Harry worried his bottom lip and then sighed, relenting to Draco's wishes. "You're right… I have to let you get use to taking baths by yourself again."

"Mhmm… Now, go work on my favorite dish," Draco smiled, "your bribery worked."

Harry huffed. "I wasn't trying to bribe!" When Draco only smiled in return, Harry sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Okay, so maybe I was… At first!" Harry added quickly when Draco started to smirk. "But after seeing you getting all worked up, I felt bad for thinking that way."

"Make it good then, Potter, and you'll be forgiven," Draco chuckled, "I'll leave the bathroom door slightly open so you can hear me, alright?"

"Just be careful," Harry cautioned. "If you need help, don't hesitate to call for me."

Draco shook his head in near exasperation. "Don't worry, Harry."

Harry scowled lightly before nodding. He then helped Draco stand up from the couch, and then gave the slightly taller Draco a kiss.

"Take your time," Harry murmured. He handed Draco his walking cane; it took the place of the floating wheelchair.

Draco smiled, accepted the cane, and started walking away, albeit a bit wobbly, toward their bedroom. Harry kept his eyes firmly on the man he loved, frowning when Draco had to pause and steady himself; he still felt a bit uneasy, having to leave Draco to bathe himself. When Draco disappeared into the room, most likely to get some fresh clothes, Harry finally turned and made his way to the kitchen.

_He'll be fine._

* * *

Draco sighed when he caught a faint whiff of beef gravy. He was almost certain Harry was just starting to make mashed potatoes, which was also one of Draco's favorite side dishes. He hobbled over to the bathroom, not wanting waste any time and he was fairly hungry after all that exercise.

A sudden twinge in his right thigh had Draco grasping the doorknob tightly. He closed his eyes and twisted the knob, pushing the door open.

_Fuck, not again…_

Putting his clean clothes on the bathroom counter, Draco limped over to the bathtub. He turned on the water and plugged it up. He felt like taking a bath tonight. It was well deserved after all.

Draco smiled in relief when the pain went away; he had been getting them every now and then. Sometimes they weren't so bad, but sometimes they were so painful that it had Draco crumpling to the ground once. It just started hurting and he couldn't even move either of his legs. That happened when he was alone in Harry's home. When his brunet lover came back from grocery shopping, Draco didn't say a word to him. He simply didn't want Harry to worry.

When the bathtub was filled with warm water, Draco took a jar of bath salts and sprinkled it into the tub. It fizzed and soon, the bathtub was bubbly and fragrant. Draco then pulled his shirt over his head and tossed that aside. Next to go was his sweat pants; he also tossed that in the direction of where the hamper was. Shaking slightly, Draco put one leg up and over the side of the porcelain tub. Then, the other leg followed and Draco sank down slowly into the soothing water.

"It's time like this that I really need a nice bath…"

* * *

Harry was stirring the pot of gravy when he checked his wristwatch again.

_He's been in there for almost half an hour…_ Harry worried.

Shaking away his worried thoughts, Harry brought the wooden spoon to his lips and tentatively licked the tip of the spoon.

The gravy was _just_ right.

"Perfect," Harry murmured to himself. "Draco will love this…"

Harry then turned off the stove and stirred the gravy some more, not wanting it to stick to the pot. He took out the spoon and dropped it into the sink; Harry then placed the pot lid back on.

The duck needed to be checked.

While puttering around the kitchen, Harry's mind drifted back to his lover, who was _still_ inside the bathroom, supposedly taking a bath. He was closing the oven door when a loud clatter sounded from the bathroom, followed by things falling onto the tile floor.

"Shit!" Harry shut the oven door with a bit of force and walked briskly towards the bathroom.

Pictures of Draco lying in a heap on the floor… Draco slipping, banging his head on the edge of the bathtub… swam around Harry's troubled mind.

"Oh God…"

Harry quickened his pace. When he was in front of the bathroom door, Harry all but shoved the door open. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Draco sitting on the ground, naked, but was alright.

"Draco…" Harry went to his lover and crouched down; he was about to hold Draco's arm when the blond flinched away from him. "Draco… What – What's wrong?"

Draco looked away, his blond tresses covering a good half of his face. He didn't want to look at Harry right then. It was a simple thing, getting out from a bathtub.

But, _he_ couldn't do it. His legs gave and he fell in a heap.

So… weak. So helpless.

"Nothing, Harry… Just – I'm fine," Draco muttered. "I fell, that's obvious."

Harry frowned; he noticed that Draco was shaking slightly, and he knew it wasn't from the cold. The bathroom was still pretty warm.

"Hey… You're okay… Your legs are still in the healing stage. One thing at a time, Draco."

Draco gritted his teeth. "It's not fine!" Draco turned and glared at Harry. "I can't even get out of a damn bathtub! The ledge is no more than two feet high! I couldn't…" Draco's anger slipped away. "I feel helpless… It's like I can't do anything anymore." Two blotches of red appeared on his cheeks; his silver orbs were suspiciously bright. Harry remained silent. "I was getting out… and then my legs got tingly and then they went numb. I – I think I banged my elbow when I fell."

Harry sucked in his breath and took Draco's arm. He inspected the elbow and found a big, red patch. "It's just a bit bruised… Thank goodness." When Draco nodded and looked away again, Harry sighed softly and cupped the blond's face. "Don't be ashamed, Draco. If anything, I think you're very strong-willed. You don't give up easily."

"No, I'm not…"

"Of course, you are," Harry replied. "I had patients before… they were in a similar situation such as yours…" Draco didn't say anything so Harry continued. "… I explained to them that there were chances they might be able to walk or able to use their arms again. At first, they were very happy to hear that piece of news.

"When I told them about the treatment, they looked slightly put out but was still willing to try.

"However, once we were at the point where the treatments didn't seem to have an effect, my patients stopped trying. They declined when I told them there are more options. Simply put, they didn't really care anymore. I had five such cases, you being my fifth. The previous four all went home without the use of their legs or arms and they accepted it."

Draco had been watching Harry intently as the brunet spoke. When Harry finished his story, Draco's eyes were wide with wonder. He brought his hand up and covered Harry's.

"They… gave up? Just like that? They rather sit in a wheelchair the rest of their lives? Or – or not be able to use their arms?"

"Mhmm." Harry nodded and leaned in to kiss Draco's forehead. "You're my first patient that went through everything. You were the only one that let me try out new techniques… You never lost hope."

Draco let out a small, self-depreciating laugh. "I – I think I lost some hope a few minutes ago. But… I guess… I guess things will be better."

* * *

Draco rubbed his hands together in great anticipation. Harry had insisted that Draco should stay seated while he went to bring out the roasted duck. The blond could already smell the heavenly scent of the bird and Harry was still inside their kitchen.

Harry was a terrific cook.

When Harry walked to the table with the dish in his hand, Draco smiled warmly at his boyfriend. "Oh, Harry… That smells wonderful," Draco gushed as he scooted his chair closer to the table. "That goes perfectly with the red wine."

Harry smiled and placed the roasted duck right in the middle of the dining table. "You're in for a treat tonight, love. I know how you love to have wine, so I thought we should have a bottle." Harry nodded at the bottle of red wine, which was next to two halfway filled glasses.

Draco sighed happily. "All of this could make me forget about the embarrassing incident that happened twenty minutes ago."

"Why is it embarrassing, Draco?" Harry shook his head. "Stop seeing yourself as helpless. You're not."

"Just… forget about it," Draco muttered; he sighed and smiled thinly at the brunet. "Let's enjoy dinner, shall we? Don't let the incident ruin our mood."

Harry let out a small, weary sigh. "You were the one bringing it up, reminding yourself that you couldn't do anything. Draco, you really need to know that you're not weak.

"Just because you fell because of weak knees doesn't mean anything. You're healing and that's all it matters." Harry then started serving the duck. "I really hope you can see that."

Draco looked down at his plate. He thanked Harry when the green-eyed man poured some sauce over Draco's serving of roasted duck. His stomach was clenching; Draco felt as if he disappointed Harry somehow.

"… I'm sorry, Harry. It's still somewhat hard for me…"

"You don't have to apologize to me." Harry sat down across from Draco and reached for the blond's hand. "Christmas is in three days; I want you to go shopping with me tomorrow."

Harry smiled when Draco squeezed his hand. The blond looked at him and smiled warmly.

"Sure. Where are we going?"

Harry could sense Draco's mood lightening. "Anywhere you want. You know more about shopping than I do."

Harry knew things were fine when Draco grinned at him happily. "That really depends who you are shopping for, Harry."

Harry hesitated a bit before answering. "Uh… Well… I know you haven't seen them, but _I _have when I go out to shop for food… And…" Harry was flustered.

"Potter," Draco drawled, "do you want to tell me you've been seeing your friends and we're shopping for them?"

"Yes," came the meek reply.

Draco snorted. "Why do you sound so worried? It's not like I'm going to stop you from seeing your friends. Hell, I'm surprised Weasley haven't dropped by your house for the past months. I would expect him or Granger to come over to see you."

"Well, you see… They – they are married, by the way – wanted to come but I told them no…" Harry dropped his gaze and pulled his hand back. "I knew you didn't want to see people, especially not them." He then jabbed his fork into a piece of duck, stuffing it into his mouth. "Ron was angry at first, about me helping you and all, but then Hermione talked some sense into him."

Draco smirked and began eating his own plate of food. "I see Weasley is still as stubborn as when we were still students." After chewing and swallowing his food, Draco picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. "I would like to meet them."

Harry's head jerked up, green eyes wide. "Are you sure? I mean, you don't… I'm not going to force you to… You and Ron aren't the best of friends."

"Pfft, that's an understatement," Draco scoffed. "But still, I would like to meet them formally. No yelling, no fighting… Just, meet them."

The small smile on Harry's face grew bigger; he was overjoyed that Draco actually wanted to meet Ron and Hermione.

"What do you say to going over to their house on Christmas? Hermione invited both of us –"

"She invited me as well?" Draco asked, cutting Harry off. The green-eyed man laughed.

"Of course! I told her… told her about your condition. She wished you a speedy recovery, Draco. I think Hermione would be happy if you go."

"It would make you happy?"

"Oh – It's not about me, Draco, it's –"

"I'll go with you," Draco stated firmly. "Being Harry Potter's boyfriend… I have to get approvals from them, don't I?" Draco chuckled when Harry gaped at him. "Harry, we're adults, not kids anymore. It's time to put our past behind us. It seems like Gra – Weas – _Hermione_ had already done so." Draco rolled his eyes at how many times he had to correct himself in saying the witch's name.

"Oh, you're going to love it! I want you to meet their son; he's three." Harry started eating his dinner again. "He's such a sweetheart."

Draco smirked and sawed a piece of duck. "What's his name? Does he have Weasley colored hair?"

"His name is Alex and he has brown hair actually; he looks a lot like Hermione, except for the eyes. They're blue, like Ron's," Harry answered. "You'd like him."

Draco chuckled. "I can't wait."

* * *

Draco sighed happily after he carefully got out of Harry's sports car. Shopping had been a blast; it felt like it had been ages since he last went out to the public. He and Harry bought tons of clothes, many of which were for himself. Harry had complained that soon their closet would be bulging with Draco's clothes. Draco had calmly waved him off and gave Harry a kiss, deep and passionate.

Harry then stopped talking and was smiling goofily the whole time they walked around the shop.

Now, after four hours of shopping, they were finally home. Draco grinned at his boyfriend, who was still taking bags after bags of things from his car.

"Merlin, Draco, I think we bought things enough for a family of ten!" Harry huffed as he hauled another bag from the back of his car.

"Don't complain, Harry. Some are yours; you said you liked them, so I got them for you," Draco drawled. He walked over to Harry. "Do you need any help?"

"Nah, I got them," Harry smiled, "you can levitate them for me if you want. I just don't want you carrying them. Make sure there isn't anybody on the street though… You know what? Just cast a Disillusion charm around the bags."

Draco smirked and took out his wand. With a swish and flick, four bags floated off the concrete ground. With another tap, the bags disappeared. Draco walked slowly, his cane making a _tap-tap_ sound as he made his way to the front door.

"Do you have the keys?" Harry asked. Draco turned around and rolled his eyes at his lover. Harry snorted. "Never mind."

Harry then levitated the leftover bags, disillusioned them, and followed Draco. "Man, I'm knackered. This is one reason why I don't like shopping; it makes me tired."

Draco laughed and opened the door. "Lame excuse, Potter."

Harry sniffed. "I _am_ tired."

They walked down the front hall and turned into the living room. Storm barked joyously from his doggy bed, his tongue hanging. Draco chuckled and then muttered the counter spells. The shopping bags reappeared and dropped to the ground with a dull thud. Harry did the same thing and watched as Storm hopped out from his bed and began sniffing the bags.

"Nothing for you, baby," Harry whispered, kneeling down and then scratched Storm's ears. "Don't you even dare make them as your chew toys."

Draco giggled softly when Storm whined and bounced over to Draco. Dark, round eyes looked up at the blond, as if asking permission.

"Silly puppy, I'm going to tell you the same thing as your Daddy," Draco told the small Labrador. "You're making it seem like I'm the one that lets you do anything." Draco shuffled over to an armchair and sat down. Storm immediately climbed up his legs and settled on Draco's belly. The blond then started petting the small head.

"You _do_ spoil him," Harry said, pretending to look hurt. "Storm likes you more than me now."

Draco looked down at the black pup. Storm was staring right back at him.

"I'll let you play with the leftover gift wrap, alright?"

Storm barked in agreement and jumped off from Draco's lap. Harry crossed his arms and huffed.

"See?"

"Don't be jealous, Harry. I am quite sure that Storm loves you more."

Harry grinned and went to Draco, bending down and kissed the blond on his forehead. "I'll get these sorted out and then we can start wrapping –"

"No, _I'm _wrapping them. I have a feeling you can't wrap presents."

"Hey! I DO know how! And-and without the help of magic, too!" Harry pouted down at his grey-eyed lover.

Draco reached up and patted Harry's cheek. "It's alright, love. You don't have to lie to me." Draco smirked when Harry growled.

"Git."

* * *

"How do I look, Harry?"

Said man chuckled as he watched his lover twist and turn in front of a full-length mirror. Harry smiled in amusement as Draco pulled at his dark green dress shirt, buttoning and then _unbuttoning_ the first two buttons. Harry rolled his eyes as Draco smoothed out non-existent wrinkles on his trousers.

"Draco, you look fine. Gorgeous." Harry stood up from where he was sitting and strode over to his fretting boyfriend. "We're just going to Ron's house; stop worrying."

"I am not worried," Draco retorted. "I just want to look presentable. We are, after all, attending Christmas dinner at their house; we are the guests. It's only polite to dress nicely." Draco took his walking cane and whacked Harry's shin with it.

"Ow! Hey! What was that for?" Harry bent down and rubbed his sore shin. "I didn't say anything wrong! And I didn't give you a cane to use as a weapon."

Draco turned around, limping slightly, hooked his cane back onto the dresser, and wrapped both of his arms around Harry's neck, kissing his boyfriend on his lips.

His legs were acting up today. They had been hurting, throbs of pain, every few minutes. This time, Draco told Harry about it. He told the brunet this morning and Harry was mighty upset when Draco had said it happened before. After checking Draco over, Harry left the house in a hurry and came back half an hour later, holding a jar of muscle-relaxing salve in his hand. Harry had gone all the way to St. Mungo's just to get it for Draco.

"It's your newly grown nerves," Harry had told Draco. "They're making your muscles tighten more than normal."

Harry smiled when Draco's lips touched his. When he pulled back, he looked deep into pools of shimmering silver.

"Did you put on the salve like I asked you to?" Harry asked, concerned. "I'm still kind of pissed that you kept it from me…"

Draco sighed and dropped his hand. "I put some on after taking my shower… And I'm sorry about not telling you. I didn't want you to worry." Draco hobbled over to the dresser and grabbed his cane. "Shall we go?"

Harry frowned at the back of Draco's head. He wanted to tell his boyfriend that he was his Healer and had every right to be concerned. But instead, Harry chose to say nothing about that.

"Yeah… You have all the presents ready?"

When Draco turned around, there was a small smile on his face; his eyes were dancing.

"Of course; I placed them by the front door. We can't miss them," Draco then laughed, "we especially couldn't miss them with Alex's present being on top. The wrapping paper was shiny."

Harry moved to Draco's side, wrapping an arm around Draco's slim waist. "Let's go." He guided his boyfriend out, mindful of the slight pain in Draco's legs.

* * *

"Unca Hawwy! You here!" Alex squealed as Harry and Draco went through the front door of Ron's house.

Harry, who was totally unprepared for a running toddler, was almost knocked down when Alex rammed into his legs. Draco stood to the side, looking uncomfortable. As Harry was busying giving Alex kisses, Draco looked away and found Hermione and Ron standing in the background, smiling. Draco took in a deep breath to calm himself and walked slowly, and a bit unsteadily, towards the couple.

When he was three feet away, Draco stopped and smiled lightly at them. "Good evening… Ron… Hermione." Draco cleared his throat. "Thanks for inviting me over…"

Hermione looked at him with warm, brown eyes. She walked over to the obviously nervous man and placed her hand on Draco's arm.

"Think nothing of it. You're Harry's… boyfriend, so consider yourself welcome in this home whenever." She moved her head and looked behind the blond. "Harry loves little Alex. He would've been a great father."

Draco stiffened slightly at her words. Yes, Harry would have been a great father. But… he could never be one. Not when the person of his desires was not a female.

"Yes…" Draco murmured. "Harry's very kind…" He chuckled, "even to this day, I am surprised that he agreed to heal me."

Ron cleared his throat and walked up to his wife. He stuck out his hand at Draco. The blond looked at the redhead with an arched eyebrow, but took his hand.

"It's nice to see you again, Weas – Ron," Draco said, correcting himself. "It's been years."

"Uh… Yeah." Ron dropped his hand, which in turn releasing Draco's. "So… How are you, Mal – Draco?"

Draco almost laughed out loud when he saw Ron wince. "I'm doing pretty well. My legs are acting up lately. Like today, they hurt a bit, but nothing serious."

"He kept it from me, not saying he was in pain," Harry said; he was now standing behind Draco with Alex in his arms. "I got him a salve from St. Mungo's."

Hermione shook her head. "You guys should find a seat in the dining room; dinner's ready."

"Yay! I hungy, mama," Alex chirped. He turned and finally noticed Draco. "I dunt see you before. Wat your name?"

Draco chuckled. "I'm Draco, Uncle Harry's… friend."

Ron snorted at Draco's answer; Hermione smacked him on his bicep.

"… Can I call you Unca Dwaco?"

"Well… Uhm…" the blond stammered. "If… If that's alright with your mum and dad…"

"Of course it is, Draco. Now, Alex will have one more uncle to play with." Hermione laughed when Draco stared at her. "Harry's his favorite uncle because Harry is the only one that would tumble around with him."

Draco then smirked at Harry. "You're just a big kid at heart, aren't you?"

Harry laughed and leaned in for a kiss. "You bet."

Alex, who was now squished in the middle, made a 'yuk' sound. "You guys kissy! Bleh!"

"You were right, Harry," Draco said when they were apart, "Alex is a very lovable child."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Oh my... it's been two months since I last updated. I hope you're not too angry at me T-T

Thanks for reading! :D


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